By the Light of the Moon
by broadwaystar01
Summary: In the kingdom of Lima, lived Prince Blaine, who dreamed of finding a life other than his destined throne and arranged marriage. In the mermaid city of Columbus, lived Princess Rachel, who longed to break free of her underwater bonds and learn more about her past. When fate brings them face to face, an undiscovered truth is revealed. Blainchel AU based off The Little Mermaid.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hey guys! It's me again! My second story! I came up with this story idea while I was watching The Little Mermaid and TA-DA I came up with this story. I'm really excited and I've made a few posters already for it. So I hope you enjoy!**

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Prologue

Once Upon a Time, a phrase used quite often to start a fairy tale. In this fairy tale, we begin with the ancient story of King William and the Sea Queen, Shelby. Whilst on a trip on the high seas, to explore the new land he had just discovered, King William was shocked to find himself face to face with a new kind of creature, half woman and half fish, with a stunning face and body, and an enchanting personality. The King found this creature to be called a mermaid, and sought out to befriend her and her people. The mermaid's name was Shelby, and she was the young queen of her underwater kingdom.

William would go out to sea every day for 10 years to see Shelby, and eventually, they became best friends. However, it wasn't going to be easy to keep their friendship alive, for William's country had discovered the species of mermaids and set out to kill all of them, before they took over the humans. The King quickly told his subjects that the mermaids were no harm to them. He knew that would not stop them from fearing them, if Shelby was brave enough to make contact with the humans, her subjects would be just as brave and then the humans would attack them. William and Shelby agreed that in order to protect both their kingdoms, they must part ways for good. After that day, a new law was set that no man shall come in to contact with anything outside of their world… and so the humans and mermaids never saw each other again.

Until one day, 10 years after the law was set, Shelby thought she saw a passing ship above their underwater kingdom, hoping it would have been William, but when she swam to the surface, she found a small basket instead, a small baby girl. She called to her son, Leroy, and his husband, Hiram. They took the baby to the enchantress's cave and the witch turned the baby into one of their own. Hiram and Leroy raised the baby girl, along with 5 other sons and daughters. They named the girl, Rachel.

As Rachel grew up, she gained an excellent singing voice that was used to enchant any boy that came across her path, but her fathers never let her out from under the water, for when Rachel's skin becomes dry, she will turn into a human again and the humans will destroy all of the mermaids for turning one of their own into one of the creatures that they despise, so the kings kept her in her castle and within the boundary of the kingdom.

Rachel was taught to become a proper young lady and to use her singing voice well by her grandmother; the now retired Queen, Shelby. She told Rachel to always follow her heart and to never give up on what it desires. Rachel took that advice with her and it stayed with her for 17 years.

Ever since the law was laid, King William has been respected and loved for many, many more years in the kingdom of Lima. It wasn't until his near death, when the truth was revealed that William had been meeting with the queen of the mermaids. He was put to shame by the kingdom, and by his own son, who changed his surname to Anderson, in order to rid himself of the disgrace his father brought on their family. King William died of old age, loved by only one, his grandson, Blaine.

Blaine, then, grew up, trying to live like his grandfather did, kind, well loved, respected, and so he was. Then Blaine's father was tragically killed whilst in battle for new land, and Blaine was next in line for the throne, for his brother, Cooper, did not wish to have it. So now, Blaine is going to be king of Lima, and a queen is soon to accompany him, but he couldn't help but imagine that there was something he was missing, something that he needed.

What he wanted most of all was to find the mysterious voice. This was a voice that only he hears, when the moonlight is reflecting on the ocean waters, and Blaine is standing on his balcony, looking out into the sea. He waits for this voice every night, and he sleeps better once he hears it. Blaine doesn't know which girl this voice belongs to, but he vowed one day, that he would find her, and meet her.


	2. Chapter 1: Barriers

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all the positive reviews on the Prologue. I'm on vacation right now, and will remain on vacation for the next few weeks, so writing is going to be a little difficult, however, I'm writing the best that I can in the little time that I have been given.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

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The light of the sun looks faint, yet stunning through the crystal blue ocean. The water makes the light shimmer against the bright golden castle in the kingdom of Columbus. All of the sea creatures are rubbing their eyes as they awaken to a beautiful new day. The mer-people are rising out of their homes and greeting each other happily. In the city of Columbus, there is nothing but pure peace and joy. Everyone follows their duty and puts the kingdom before themselves. A good city is also ruled by good kings. King Hiram and King Leroy have ruled Columbus peacefully for 27 years. There is not one mer-person who couldn't be happier.

Within the castle walls are the 9 children of Leroy and Hiram. We begin with the eldest daughter, Rebecca. A child of 20 years of age. She is responsible and just to her family and to her people. Next are Rayna and Ryan, the twins of 19 years of age. Both of them are high strung and obsessed with finding that special someone to settle down with. Then we get to Ray, a son of 18 years. Ray is very calm, he doesn't get excited about many things and he only wants things to be the same every day. Next is Regina, a daughter of 16 years. Regina is the prize of the family, blessed with a gorgeous face and body and adored by most men in the kingdom. Follow Regina; there is Reece, one of the youngest brothers, only 15 years of age. Reece is extremely athletic and strives to win a game, and he is also known as the champion of the Columbus games since he was a child. Just one year younger than Reece, is the 14-year-old princess, Ronnie. Ronnie is very intelligent and sweet. There is not one book in the entire castle that Ronnie has not read. Lastly, there is the youngest son of Hiram and Leroy, little Riley of 9 years. He is the shiest of them all, very timid and scared of many things. It takes most of his siblings to ever calm him down when he is most afraid.

On a regular morning in the castle, each of the children wake up, get dressed and come down to the dining hall where Hiram, Leroy and grandmother Shelby are all awaiting their arrival so they may eat breakfast. And so, the routine of the day begins.

Each of the princes and princesses came down in order by age and greeted their fathers and grandmother, and took a seat at the table beside one another.

"Good morning my children," Hiram announced.

"Good morning father," they all said in unison.

"Good morning," Leroy said sweetly.

"Good morning papa," they said again.

"And don't forget to say good morning to your loving grandmother," Hiram said, gesturing to Shelby.

"Good morning grandmother," they said, smiling this time and waving towards her, Rebecca patting her on the shoulder.

"Now, we may all begin our breakfast!" Leroy cheered.

Hiram placed an arm in front of Leroy as he looked at the empty chair at the table.

"Rebecca, Rayna, Regina," Hiram called to them.

"Yes father?" they all responded.

"Where is your sister, Rachel?" Leroy asked.

"I'M HERE!" a voice called out.

Rachel came rushing through the halls and panted as she finally reached the dining hall.

"Ah, Rachel!" Leroy said happily.

"Good morning papa," Rachel smiled.

"You're late again, my dear," Hiram said sternly.

"I'm sorry father," she said, "I had the most wonderful dream last night and I couldn't bare to wake up and ruin it."

"No matter, be sure it doesn't happen again," Hiram said.

"Yes father."

Rachel hung her head low, respectfully as she sat next to Rayna and Regina.

Rachel is of 17 years and she is possibly one of the most out of the ordinary princesses the kingdom has ever seen. Rachel refuses to conform to society like everyone else has chosen so, in fact, Rachel would rather live outside of the box, rather than not even touching the edges, as her family does so well.

"So what was this dream about?" Shelby asked.

"I am so glad you asked, grandmother, because I thought you would like it," Rachel said excitedly, "I was swimming about in the kelp fields, like I would normally do on a relaxing day, when suddenly, I saw a twinkle from above the shore, so I quickly swam above, and-."

"You are not permitted to go above the surface and you know that," Leroy said strictly.

"Oh calm down, my son," Shelby said sweetly, "It was only a dream."

"Yes, simply a dream," Rachel said.

"Well don't let those dreams get into your head, young lady," Hiram said, "We all know the rules, don't we children."

And everyone, including Rachel, recited these words, "It is strictly forbidden for any of the mer-folk to travel above the comfort and warmth of the sea. Anyone who goes above the surface is in direct violation of the rules."

"That's right," the kings said together.

After a few moments of silence while the royal family ate their food, one of the guards came inside the dining hall and went to the kings.

"Your majesties," he said, "Sebastian Smythe is waiting outside the castle."

Rachel's eyes widened and she wiped her mouth with her napkin before bursting out of her seat.

"May I be excused?" she asked, waving her hand up.

Hiram and Leroy exchanged a look of concern, and then they both nodded. Rachel smiled and kissed her father's cheeks before rushing out the door.

"God, if she marries Sebastian before me, I'm going to die!" Rayna cried.

"What's so bad about Sebastian?" Regina asked, "I think he's cute."

"Oh come now," Rebecca scoffed, "We all know that Rachel and Sebastian have been best friends since they were guppies."

"Also, I predict Rachel will be the last of us to get married anyway," Ray said, "She doesn't seem like 'wife material' just yet."

"Besides, she still has to beat me at the Columbus games this year before she does anything!" Reece said excitedly.

"When Rachel turns 18, we will have to start looking for a suitor for her," Leroy said, "We're almost done finding one for Rebecca."

"I wonder how that's going to sit with Rachel," Rayna whispered to Rebecca.

"I know," Rebecca said, sadly, "She hates the idea of arranged marriages more than anything."

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Sebastian Smythe was waiting outside the castle walls like a shy little commoner. He was a commoner, but he wasn't regularly shy. He and Rachel had been best friends since they were little, and had shared basically anything and everything with each other. There wasn't one thing they didn't know about each other.

The royal guard came forward to Sebastian, "The Kings send Princess Rachel out, and she will be here shortly-."

"SEBASTIAN!" Rachel screamed, bolting as fast as she could, reaching her arms out toward him.

They collided and hit the sand with a thud and both started laughing.

"Good morning to you too," he laughed.

"Sebastian! I made the greatest discovery last night!" she said happily clapping her hands.

"You're really a barracuda trapped in a mermaid's body and you've come to destroy the city to find the gold and take it to your shark overlord!" Sebastian said excitedly.

"No," Rachel glared at him, "Why do you always guess that?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, getting up off the sand and brushing it off his tail, "What discovery did you make last night?"

"Well, it was in the middle of the night, and I couldn't sleep, so I snuck out my window-."

"Of course you did," he chuckled.

"Are you gonna let me finish or not?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Sorry," he said, "Continue."

"And I went to the kelp fields, just to wonder around, and then I saw this bright shimmer," she said wondrously, "So I swam to the surface and-."

"You went to the surface again!" Sebastian yelled.

"SHHH!" Rachel hushed, throwing her hand over his mouth, "Do you know what would happen to me if my dads knew that I've been going to the surface? DANGER! I'd get shish-ka-bobbed and served for dinner!"

"All right! All right!" he muffled under Rachel's hand.

Rachel removed her hand from his mouth and dragged him away towards the kelp fields.

"So what happened when you…" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "surfaced?"

"I found this," she said, holding out a small moon necklace, "It was on this rock by Emma's cove."

"Emma's?" Sebastian whispered, "First, you're surfacing, next, you're going to The Sea Witch without permission? You're dads would leave you on a fish hook for the sharks, let alone shish-ka-bob you."

"I know," she said, and then sighed, throwing her hands up, "Nobody else gets treated this way! All of my siblings get to be free and surface and visit Emma. Even Riley gets to go, and he's only nine years old! Is there something wrong with me?"

"Your ambition to be out of the sea is a little higher than most of us here," Sebastian said.

"Higher?" Rachel asked.

"Well… yeah," he shrugged, "You constantly talk about what life above the surface would be like for you. It's a little strange."

"You call it strange?" she scoffed, "You talk about it just as much as I do!"

"Not true!" he yelled.

"Is too!" Rachel argued.

"Okay, okay," he said quietly, "Maybe I do talk about surfacing a lot, but I have a good reason to do so."

"I'm jazzed to hear what it is," she said sarcastically."

Sebastian paused for a moment and took a deep breath before speaking, "I'm in love."

"IN LOVE?" Rachel cried.

"SHHH!" Sebastian said, covering her mouth, "Yes… I am in love with a human. She thinks I'm human as well."

"How?" Rachel asked, pushing Sebastian's hand off her mouth, "Nobody in Columbus has ever made contact with a human… EVER!"

"Well… you see that's the funny part," he said.

"When you say funny… it's never funny," Rachel said sternly, crossing her arms, "Explain."

"I was swimming along the surface edge- I DIDN'T GO ABOVE- but I was swimming around."

"Go on…"

"And I found this message in a bottle so I took it out and I read it, it was a note. From a maid in the palace household in the kingdom of Lima."

"Lima?"

"The land above."

"Oh… continue."

"So I wanted to write back to her, so I took a seashell and I wrote a message on it for her, I didn't tell her about Columbus, but I told her I was a human. We've been writing to each other ever since."

Rachel's eyes widened for a moment, then she took a deep breath, "You realize this makes you much worse than me."

"How?" he asked.

"Easy," she said, "I'm NOT in love with a human."

* * *

**PRINCE BLAINE ANNOUNCES HIS ENGAGEMENT TO PRINCESS QUINN**

The headlines of the posters all over the kingdom of Lima set the city a buzz. For years, Lima has at war with Westerville and so this marriage meant that they're kingdoms would be joined together forever and be free from destruction.

Cheers were ringing through the villages, festivals were breaking out everyday and all night long, and every single person in the town knew that all was going to be peaceful again.

Santana Lopez rose early, before the music began to play, in the morning and began making her way towards the royal palace. In her basket, she held clean white sheets and in the basket on her other arm, she held various fruits that she had gotten from the fruit stand.

Once she reached the palace, she walked up the many steps to the Prince's quarters and knocked on the large and decorative doors.

"Who is it?" the prince called.

"Santana," she said in her thick Spanish accent.

The Prince withdrew from his balcony and walked to the door, opening it and smiling brightly at his maid service, and friend.

"Santana! How are you my dear?" Blaine said happily.

"Just fine," she said, bowing her head, "Did you sleep well, your majesty?"

"I did," he replied, gesturing her inside.

Santana walked into the room and took the old sheets off of Blaine's bed, replacing them with the new ones in her basket.

"I say, congratulations are in order, my lord," she said, "The whole entire kingdom is very excited about your engagement to Princess Quinn."

"Oh, yes. Quinn," he sighed, standing still and facing towards the window.

"Is she a respectable princess?" she asked.

"I would say so," he said, "I have only known her since last month."

Santana's eyes widened, then she quickly returned to her work. "How did this engagement come along? If you have not known her that long."

"Captain Finn, of Westerville, made the offer of a marriage," he said, sternly, "He said if I do not marry Princess Quinn, there will be more war."

"So you are marrying her-."

"To protect the kingdom," he said proudly.

She nodded, taking the jacket from his closet and placing it on him, brushing off the shoulders.

"Do you not wish to marry for love?" she asked.

"I do," he said, "I suppose I will grow to love her, even if it's not exactly how I hoped to marry."

"There aren't very many ladies to marry besides the Princess, your majesty," she said, "And you do need a queen to rule beside you once you become king."

"Yes, I suppose," he said quietly.

The Prince was distant. He was staring out into the sea, the sun just rising over the waters and there was hardly a cloud in the bright blue sky. Santana noticed the look on his face as he looked at the blue ocean.

"Did you hear it?" she asked, "The maiden's voice?"

Blaine took a sigh and nodded, "I've heard it every night for the past 5 years… it's beautiful and sweet. It sounds like a small chime or a bell and it's… it's as mysterious as the ocean itself."

"If you knew who the voice was-."

"I'd seriously consider her for marriage," he said persistently, "A voice like that belongs to a beautiful girl with a caring hard, and smart mind, and full a wit. I just know it. But as far as you or anyone else who knows about this is concerned, this voice is just a made up fantasy in my head."

"Nobody but you can hear it, my prince," she said, "but you seem quite smitten with this maiden."

"A maiden? Aren't you getting married?" a man's voice came from the door.

Cooper Anderson walked into Blaine's room and stood beside him, wrapping his arm around him, "I would never consider you one of those men, squirt."

"Don't call me squirt," Blaine groaned, rolling his eyes and moving himself from his brother, "I'm going to be your king soon enough."

"That's only because I turned it down," he sassed, then turning to Santana, "Good Morning Santana."

"Good Morning Prince Cooper," she said, bowing her head and returning to her work.

"Why did you turn down the throne anyway?" Blaine asked Cooper, "I thought this would be the perfect way to get everyone's attention on you."

"Eh, I'm not one for politics," he shrugged, "Besides, I'm going places, squirt."

"Again, don't call me squ-."

"I'm going to travel the world," he said, throwing his hand in the air and walking around the room, "Places even outside of the entire country! Places nobody here has ever seen before! Blaine, I'm taking up stage acting and I'm going to perform for millions of people. Maybe settle down later, find a nice maiden who can sing and have a few talented kids who will follow me in my legacy."

"You have a very well thought out plan there, Coop," Blaine sighed.

"I know!" Cooper said excitedly, "and meanwhile, you're going to stay in Lima and rule a bunch of peasants, stuck in a castle with your nagging wife queen."

"Quinn is not nagging," Blaine argued, although he wasn't quite sure if this was a true statement or not.

"My princes," the butler announced, "I hate to interrupt, but the Princess and Captain Finn have arrived and she insists that you tend to her immediately, she also sends a messages that she knows you're here and to not pretend that you aren't."

Blaine rolled his eyes at Cooper, "She's just persistent."

"Good luck!" Cooper called as Blaine left the room, then turned to Santana, "He's going to need it."

"Most definitely," she agreed.

* * *

Captain Finn and Princess Quinn were waiting in the throne room of the castle. The large room was silent, Captain Finn holding onto his sword, ready to protect his princess from danger.

"Where is he?" Quinn asked impatiently.

"He must be on his way now, my princess," he said.

"Why does he insist on keeping me waiting!" she yelled, "I do NOT like to be kept waiting!"

"We must keep a positive attitude, your highness," Finn said calmly, "He is your future husband after all. You may not have another choice."

"This is most outrageously unfair," she pouted, crossing her arms, "I should be free to choose who I marry. These rules should have been dead long ago."

"Would you rather both our kingdoms go to war?" he asked.

Quinn sighed and uncrossed her arms, straightening out her dress and her bright diamond tiara.

"It's not like I don't love a man in Lima," she said quietly.

"That is true," Finn nodded, "However, Lord Samuel Evans is not fit to help rule Westerville, if that is what you choose. He is no Prince Anderson. Blaine is a fine ruler and will be a respectful king. I find you will like it here more than at home."

Quinn scoffed and opened her mouth to retaliate, but she could hear the footsteps walking down the grand staircase, and Blaine came into view.

"Ah," he said happily, "My Princess, how are you, darling?"

"Quite fine," she said, holding out her gloved hand, "I do wish you wouldn't have kept me waiting."

"My apologies Quinn, my brother came to visit today before he leaves on his world journey," he said with a smile and kissed her hand.

"A journey?" Quinn asked, intrigued, "How interesting."

"It is, isn't it?" he said, "Captain Finn, good to see you."

"And you, your majesty," Finn said with a bow.

Blaine stepped beside Quinn and wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her securely and taking her arm closest to him with his other hand.

"Our constructers have taken quite some time to build our wedding chambers," he said delightfully, "I think you would like it."

"Oh?" Quinn asked, "Then I would be most delighted to see it. Come along, Captain Finn."

Finn nodded and followed them as Blaine led them up the stairs to the giant bedroom on the other side of the castle, overlooking the town, rather than the ocean. When they stepped in, Quinn saw nothing but blue. The hinges were painted blue on the walls and the bed spread along with the post was blue as well, and the post had drawings of dolphins and ocean creatures.

"It… It's blue," Quinn said, shockingly.

"Yes!" Blaine said happily, "Do you like it?"

"I wanted it to be green!" Quinn stomped.

"The builders never got a specific preference from you," Blaine said shyly.

Quinn sighed and threw her hands to her side, walking towards her prince and placing her hands on either side of his body, "I wanted the room to match our eyes. The green in mine, plus the green that pops out in your hazel color. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

"I suppose so," Blaine said.

"And let there be flowers, instead of ocean creatures!" she said, spinning around the room, "Let the room smell like roses and the archway to the balcony covered with vines and dozens of flowers! So then all of the kingdom may see us from our view!"

"They will have to redo the whole room," Blaine said, "Are you sure you don't want just the color changed? They can do that quickly."

"No!" Quinn insisted, "I want all of those thing and I want them immediately!"

The temper of the princess scared the prince. He wasn't ready to be married at all, let alone to someone who had such a short temper. He imagined all of the kingdom being at complete ciaos because he wouldn't be able to control her anger, and all of sudden every inch of the kingdom would have gone as insane as she was. Then their children would be screaming and crying all the time. All of these things scared Blaine more than ever, and he found himself that kind of mood for the rest of the day. Once Quinn had returned to her chambers on the other end of the castle, Blaine fell onto his bed in his own chambers and groaned.

There was a knock on the door, and Blaine didn't bother to get up to open it.

"The door is open!" he yelled.

The door opened with a crack and Lord Samuel Evans stepped into the room, "Blaine, how did everything go with the princess today?"

"Terribly, I'm afraid, Sam," he groaned again, sitting up to talk to his friend.

"What happened?" he asked, sitting beside him.

"I showed her our bedroom for after we're married and her head almost popped out of her shoulders," Blaine said with a sigh, "She's very ill tempered and devious and she always has to get her way. She also doesn't really consider the kingdom's feelings which makes me question how she'll rule the kingdom, not to mention the children will be very whiny and nagging like spoiled brats-."

"I understand," Sam said, holding up his hand to halt him, then he stood up and headed for the door, "Do you ever consider how lucky you are? To have a girl as beautiful and as comforting as Quinn?"

With that, Sam ended his quick visit, and Blaine couldn't help but wonder if either Blaine was misjudged Quinn, or if Sam was in love with her himself.

He shook his head and decided to let it go. Everything will solve itself eventually, if fate was ever so kind to him.

Blaine washed his face, dressed into his sleepwear and headed off to bed as the moon began to rise over the ocean. The blue light was reflected beautifully off the ripples of the waves. This was his home and he couldn't be happier about it. Then that sweet voice came along. It rung in his ear like that chime he was so familiar with. The voice was as clear as the crystal blue waters of the sea and it was soft like a small feather floating on the water. He did not know where this voice came from, but it came every night, and Blaine waited on his balcony just to hear it. After his long and stressful day, this was exactly what he needed, and his heart soared and he was happy.

With that, Blaine smiled, and slept peacefully through the night.


	3. Chapter 2: Arranged

**AN: The second after I posted the first chapter, I began writing the second chapter. Again, still on vacation and I'm starting summer camp soon, so I am constantly trying to write and really hope you are enjoying this story so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters.**

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They way the moon looked below the ocean was Rachel's favorite sight. It memorized her and she dreamed happily when she saw it. She always wanted to know what the moon looked like from the land, as a child. More recently, she got to discover that and it was more than she could have ever imagined. The moon looked so large from where she was. It wasn't until it hung clearly in the sky that it looked really small. It still looked bright and beautiful to her.

Rachel was staring at how the moonlight bent beneath the water outside her window when she heard a little creak, what sounded like the door opening. All of the sisters were asleep, when she observed the room.

"Rachel," a tiny voice called.

She turned and saw little Riley standing in the door way, only showing his little head, his tail and body hiding behind the door.

"Riley?" Rachel asked, swimming towards him, carefully trying not to startle him, "What are you doing here? You should be asleep in bed, little one."

"I-I had a bad d-dream," he sniffed.

"Oh," she said sweetly, wrapping her arm around him and carrying him to her bed, placing him firmly on her lap, "Do you want to tell me what the dream was about?"

"Two-legged people," he shivered, "They came... they came and attacked us. They took grandma and father and papa... we all swam away but our home was destroyed..."

"Oh sweetie," Rachel cooed, "It's okay. Humans are nothing to be scared of. They do not know we even exist."

"They don't?" he asked.

"No," she said softly, "And even if they did, I'm sure they won't hurt us. They are not all cold hearted and cruel."

"But father said-."

"Sometimes..." Rachel sighed, "Father can be wrong."

"How do you know they're not all bad?" Riley asked, looking up at her, "You haven't seen them, or talked to them, have you?"

"No, I have not," she said, "But do you wanna know a secret?"

Riley nodded.

"I do want to meet one," she said quietly, "You can't tell anyone this. It's a secret. Promise?" Rachel crossed her heart and held out her pinky.

"Promise," Riley said, doing the same as they locked their pinkies together and giggled.

Riley turned over in her arms, so she was cradling him, swaying him back and forth as if he was a baby.

"Will you sing to me, Rachel?" he asked.

"Of course."

She playfully cleared her throat several times and began to sing, humming at first. It was a tune that Shelby used to sing to them as children. Rachel's voice was as clear as a glass bell, it was also soft and sweet as she sung the little child to sleep. Riley slowly began to close his eyes and fall to sleep, so Rachel stopped singing and carried him over to the boy's room.

Once he was tucked into his bed, she kissed his head, and whispered, "I promise you this, little one. Nothing will ever keep me from my family... nothing."

It wasn't long until the sun was shining over the kingdom again. Only this time, instead of quiet, Rachel woke to the view of millions of the mer-folk gathering around the castle. There was music playing. Everyone was dancing around. It seemed as if they were celebrating something.

"Girls!" Rachel called as each of them began to wake up, "Look! I wonder what all the commotion is about."

Rayna was the first by Rachel's side. She looked down and suddenly, her eyes widened with fear.

"Uh... Rachel? You might wanna just... go back to bed," she said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, "I'm going down there to see what's going on."

"Rachel! No!" Rayna called after her, but it was too late. Rachel was already swimming down out the window with the rest of the crowd.

"What's going on?" Ronnie yawned.

"Why are your shells in a twist, RayRay?" Regina asked.

"Rachel is going to the announcement," Rayna said.

"WHAT?!" they yelled.

"She is going to be... I don't know!" Regina said.

"She is going to throw a fit of some sort," Ronnie said.

"And unleash her wrath upon the entire kingdom!" Regina yelled.

"Okay, let's not panic," Rayna sighed, "Let's wake up the boys and go down there ourselves... she'll need us there when she finds out."

Regina and Ronnie nodded. They swam as quickly as they could to the boy's room. As it turns out, they were just as panicked as the girls were. Everyone knows that the one thing Rachel hates more than anything is arranged marriages.

They all managed to make it in time, before Hiram and Leroy made the big announcement.

"Rachel!" Ryan yelled once she was spotted.

Rachel turned around and gasped, "You guys scared me."

"Rachel, we need to tell you something," Ray said, "Before-."

The trumpets were sounding, and all the siblings, but Rachel, took a long groan.

Emerged from the top of the tower was Hiram and Leroy, Rebecca by their side.

"Citizens of Columbus," Hiram boomed over the crowds.

"Fish-folk and mer-people alike," Leroy said after him.

Each and every one of the Berry children, except Rachel, groaned. However, Rachel looked up with wide eyes and a smile on her face.

"We as your kings are here to announce," Hiram said, "A most happy occasion in the royal family."

"We present to you, Rebecca Berry," Leroy said.

"Our newly engaged daughter!" they both said, holding up Rebecca's hands as the crowds cheer.

The people surrounding Rachel and her siblings were cheering loudly, throwing their hands up in the air and applauding that their princess was given a suitable husband. The whole kingdom started to play music and dance around each other once again. They were smiling and laughing and talking about who the lucky fellow could possibly be.

Everyone, except Rachel, of course. She just stared blankly at the fake smile her sister gave the rest of the crowd.

"Rachel..." Rayna said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Rachel did not say a word, but instead, she went straight back to her bed in order to escape the madness that was going on around her.

From the tower, Rebecca looked down to see each and every one of her siblings below her, except Rachel. This did not surprise her one bit. Rayna and Regina looked very sadly up at her, and she gave them a nod.

"Father? Papa?" Rebecca called, "I must return to my room for a minute. May I be excused?"

"Why yes, dear," Leroy said sweetly, "Just be sure to be back in time for your first dance with Carter."

"He's anxious to meet you," Hiram nodded.

"I will," she answered, "I won't be gone but 30 minutes to an hour."

Both Kings nodded and Rebecca retreated to find Rachel.

Rachel was sulking in her window, looking up at the surface edge when Rebecca came in.

"There is not one day when I don't see you sulking in the window like that," she laughed softly.

Rachel didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "I've been upset about a lot of things."

Rebecca slowly swam towards Rachel, touching her back.

"I meant to tell you later," Rebecca said.

"It doesn't make it any better," Rachel replied, then scoffed, "HOW could you do this? How could you go through with this? Do you even know him?"

"That's what the celebration is for," Rebecca shrugged, "Our first meeting. You know?"

"No! I don't know. This is not you Becca. If anything, love is ALL you think about and instead of marrying for love, you marry for politics!"

"I am NOT! This has nothing to do with politics."

"Then what? You're still letting our fathers pick who will strengthen our kingdom!"

"I've heard Carter is a good man," Rebecca said, "I have faith that we will grow to love."

Rachel shook her head, "And what if you don't? This is wrong, and you SO know it."

"How many chances am I going to get at this?" Rebecca shouted, "At the rate i was going at finding someone to love, I would've had my wedding at grandmother's age."

Rebecca had tried to laugh off the tension, but nothing was working at all. Rachel was still looking just as upset as before in front of her eldest sister, not thinking twice about resenting her for giving in to the cultural norm. Rachel had always hoped that she and her sister were going to be the ones to break the rules and convince their fathers to change the law so that the princesses and princes can marry who they choose. But everything had changed now. She felt like she was the only one who felt the same as she did. Rachel felt alone.

"Rach..." Rebecca said softly, placing a hand on her back, "I'm sorry this upsets you... but our dads do what they do because they want to do what's not only best for us, but for the kingdom... Isn't that what royalty is? Looking after your people?"

Rachel shrugged.

"Carter is good," she continued, "I do not know this from experience, but father and papa do. They think he is good for me and good for our people. He will a good edition to the family, I can tell. There is not much that can go wrong here... so please try and lighten up?"

Rachel looked at her sister with disappointment in her eyes, "I thought we were gonna marry for love... isn't that what we always dreamed of? Apparently you've forgotten and turned into one of them... that's fine... I will not."

"Rachel!" Rebecca called after her, but it was too late. Rachel had swam out the door and was gone, using her tail to slam the door shut with a loud thud.

* * *

Another glorious morning in Lima and the sun shined brightly as it did every morning. It had only been two days since the engagement of Princess Quinn and Prince Blaine. People were still rejoicing and dancing through the streets, loud music playing from dawn until dusk.

"I do not blame them for celebrating for so long," Santana said whilst sitting inside of Kurt Hummel's clothing emporium.

Kurt had started his own clothing business as soon as he was old enough to achieve his own earnings. He started a small business in his old home in the outskirts of the country side. The day that changed his life was when the Prince of Lima himself came before him, saying he admired his work and wished to have him work for Lima and the royal court. Kurt then moved his business to Lima, where he tailors all of the Prince's clothes and makes fine ball gowns for the women of the town. Since he was working with the royal family so much, he had made friends with everyone who lived among the palace, including Santana.

Kurt was focused on making a dress, wearing a pair of glasses and stitching on the fabric carefully.

"Why so?" he asked Santana.

"These people have been put through so much grief," she sighed, looking out the window, "Now they know that they will be safe forever. There was no greater danger than the one that Westerville brought upon them."

"All because of a marriage?" he asked.

"Westerville may do no harm to the husband of their princess," she sighed, "So Blaine must give his love to the princess in order to save his people... Huh. The things that man will do for his people is astounding."

"Like give up all chances of ever finding true love," Kurt interjected.

Santana nodded, "And it's not like the Princess is an easy one."

"Oh no," Kurt said looking up, "Bossy?"

"And whiny," she rolled her eyes, "... and nagging... and loud... she's a spoiled princess if I ever saw one."

"Well it's not like she was madly in love with our dear Prince either. This is also ruining her chance at true love, she's just being more cranky about it."

"Does she have to be so expressive about it?" she teasingly played with her ear and then laughed along with her friend.

"What does his majesty say?" he asked, looking up from his sewing.

Santana sighed and shook her head, "He puts on a happy face for his people, but every single one of us knows that this saddens him just as much. Not only to be rid of true love, but to be stuck with that nag for the rest of his life."

"He wouldn't have to do this if he weren't going to be king," Kurt said, returning to his work.

"He knew he would have to deal with this kind of thing at some point. He said it comes with the job. Marrying someone he doesn't love."

"Then why be king?" he asked, "If he knew he would be sad, why do it?"

"King William," Santana said, "Blaine adores his grandfather to this very day, many years after his death. He wants to protect the people like his grandfather did. His majesty feels as if his grandfather died in shame, so he wants to avenge his name and honor him as king."

"How honorable," he nodded.

"He doesn't deserve the crown, in my opinion," a man's voice said, followed by the slamming of the door.

"Why say you, my lord?" Santana asked Sam Evans as he marched angrily into the shop.

"Because he is unable to love such an angel as Miss Fabray," Sam said angrily, throwing a stool to the ground.

Kurt, after angrily glaring at the stool on the ground, grinned, "Ah! I see. You are in love with the princess."

"And it's mutual," he said through his teeth, "but she thinks... rather, Captain Finn, thinks that I am not fit to rule, so she has to marry Blaine, instead of me! If only I were in line for the crown... I would have her by now."

Santana stood up and placed an hand on his back, rubbing gently. "There, there," she said sweetly, "It seems as if none of us are happy with this arrangement."

There was a knock on the door and Kurt looked away from his work to the door. "Come in, please!"

Blaine opened the door, looking grim, but forcefully happy. "Ah, I see we've all thought alike this day. All of us ending up in the same place..."

Santana bowed her head to her prince and he kissed her head.

"Kurt," Blaine said joyfully, "Do you have that robe that I requested some months ago?"

"I do!" Kurt said happily, putting down the dress fabric and going into the closet of hangers to find the royal blue and purple robe, "Here it is! All ready for the Prince's Spring Ball coming up in a a matter of weeks."

"Three to the day," Blaine said, taking the robe, "It looks wonderful, Kurt. Thank you."

"Anything for his majesty," he said, bowing and then picking up the dress again.

"That dress seems quite important to you," Santana said, getting up and touching the fabric.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Kurt shouted, slapping her hand. Sam and Blaine jumped in their spots, "I'm saving this for a special occasion. I've worked very long and hard on it, and I am barely more than halfway done."

Everyone in the dress shoppe laughed, including Blaine, who hadn't laughed in ages. It warmed his heart.

* * *

It was getting late in the night. Every soul in the kingdom of Columbus was asleep in their shells, except for Rachel of course. Rachel was sitting in her bed, staring out the wide window up at the distance surface, just wanting to get up there and see the precious moon against the waves, feel the fresh air on her face. She looked around to see that nobody was awake other than herself, and she sprang to life out of her bed, swimming out the window, straight up until there was no more water to swim through.

Her face hit the surface with a crash and she threw her head up with the feeling of the cold air on her face. She swam to a nearby rock towards the sea's end and jumped up on top of it, her tail just brushing the water's edge. It was one of the best things she's ever felt. The cool water against her tail and the cool air against her face and body. It was magical to her. She began to open her mouth and sing sweetly. Obviously nobody had heard her, so she was never caught for doing this. She continued to sing into the air, letting out all of her frustrations and thoughts into her song. She never thought about it, but the notes just flew out of her mouth.

And somewhere on a balcony in Lima, the notes warmed Prince Blaine's heart. Then he smiled.


	4. Chapter 3: Threat

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters.**

* * *

The next morning, Blaine arose early. Although the soothing woman's voice could make him sleep soundly, he could not get the idea of her out of his head. He needed to find her, and soon. He knew this voice was not one of a human girl, if none of his court could hear the girl's voice. Blaine had to travel to one place, a place that nobody but him and his late grandfather knew about. The City of Columbus, where the mer-people live. Just knowing who the voice belonged to would make him feel so much better.

That morning Blaine barged into the breakfast room, shocking Quinn, Captain Finn and Sam, who were sitting at the long table. Even Santana flinched while she was standing in the servant's corner.

"I'm going on a voyage," Blaine said proudly.

"A voyage?" everyone in the room asked curiously.

"A voyage?" Quinn asked, getting to her feet, seeming to get angry, "Now?! We still have so many things to do before the Spring Ball!"

"Now, now, my princess," Blaine said, placing his hands on her shoulders and rubbing them gently, "I won't be gone long. I'll just be gone for the day, if I find what I am looking for, I will be out again! but no longer than that, agreed?"

Quinn pouted and crossed her arms, then after a few seconds of silence she tossed her arms to the side and groaned. "Oh fine," she said, while Blaine smiled happily, "but come home to me safe, yes?"

"I promise you," he said and kissed her forehead, "You're not loosing me so soon."

He ran out of the palace, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he took a horse and carriage down to the docks, where his ship awaited him.

"I'm going to find you," he said once he stepped onto the boat, looking out to sea, "I promise you that, my sweet voice."

* * *

Beneath the sea, Rachel was tending to the seaweed garden at the entrance of the palace, humming to herself. She had nothing better to do anyway. There was no way she was going to sit and eat meals happily with her family when they all disagreed with her.

She ended up grumbling to herself about how nobody loves her, nobody treats her like an actual mer-person and just angry harsh words. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes, returning to her soft singing as she continued.

Suddenly, she heard a loud whistle coming from the other direction, towards the village.

Two mer-men were winking at Rachel, waving. They must have figured out that she was almost 18, and the second she turned 18, her family would be looking for suitors. These boys just seemed like freaks, and she rolled her eyes and they laughed and swam away.

"You might want to be more careful to how you treat the mer-men," Shelby's voice came from beside Rachel.

"Why?" she asked, looking at her grandmother and then back.

"One of them may be your future husband."

"Even if my father's let me marry for love, I would never marry someone who isn't afraid to approach me," she scoffed, "THEY are cowards. I want a braver man by my side rather than one whose first impression is a pathetic whistle."

Shelby laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whoever you marry, marry for love above all dear one. Never wed for fame or fortune or politics. If you wed unhappy, that leads to an unhappy life, and for that leaves an unhappy heart."

"Great," Rachel sighed, "You mind telling my dads that?"

"Grandmother."

Speak of the devil, Rachel thought. Hiram came approaching her.

"Your son wishes to speak with you," he said sternly, "Leroy will be in the throne room."

"Of course," Shelby sighed, "Thank you my wonderful son-in-law."

Shelby swam away slowly. Hiram gave a kiss to her forehead before she disappeared into the castle.

There was a moment of awkward silence between father and daughter. Rachel had nothing to say to him unless he decided to speak to her.

"You've grown into quite the young lady," he said, then clearing his throat, "Rachel... After Rebecca's marriage to Carter, it will be Rayna's turn. Our papa and I have searched through the entire kingdom and we have narrowed it down."

Rachel rolled her eye and continued pulling weeds.

"Anyway," Hiram finished, "After Rayna gets married... It will be your turn, dear one."

"No thanks," Rachel said, not evening looking up.

He sighed and sat down on the steps by the garden, trying to get his daughter's attention, "Rebecca told me what you've been saying about these kind of marriages. I'm sorry, but this isn't your decision."

"Yeah," she scoffed, "Who I spend the rest of my life with is not my decision... THAT sounds fair!"

"Why can't you be like the rest of us?" he yelled, "Willing and respectful rather than stubborn like you!"

"Maybe it's because I would like to marry somebody I love," she spat, "That CAN'T POSSIBLY be too much to ask!"

"You should not take what your grandmother says seriously! She is filling your head with absolute nonsense!"

"It's far from nonsense, father, and you KNOW that!"

"You're far too young to understand these things-."

"I KNOW you understand it, though. Didn't you marry papa out of love? Mer-men don't marry other mer-men, but you did because you love papa, didn't you?"

"ENOUGH!" Hiram was angrier than ever at this point, because Rachel was right. The only reason they were allowed to marry was because Leroy was of the royal family and men were allowed to choose who they married. Hiram and Leroy chose each other because they loved each other dearly.

"I wish you could try and see how I feel about this, father," Rachel complained, crossing her arms across her chest, then she swam away to the kelp fields, knowing he wouldn't try and go after her.

The kelp fields were a bit closer to the surface than any other party of the kingdom, so when the sun rose over the water, it made the field particularly warm. Rachel raced into the fields, finding a nearby rock and quietly sobbing.

"Rachel?" she heard Sebastian's voice come from the other end, he seemed tired from swimming so far.

"You are a fast swimmer," Sebastian said, panting.

"I feel so foolish," Rachel whined.

"Why?" he asked, "To me you are everything but."

"I know," she sighed, and sat up to face her beloved friend, "I just know there is something else for me outside of these stupid laws. Outside of the shell that I'm so used to living in."

"Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know," she groaned, "Freedom? Free from solitude. Free to love whomever I please."

"Ah," Sebastian sighed and sat next to her, "If I ever find a way to make it out of the ocean, and find my beautiful mystery girl... I'd gladly take you with me."

"Would you?" Rachel smiled.

Sebastian took her hand and pulled her down to the coral reefs just below the kelp fields.

"Look around you," he said, "What do you see?"

"Colors. Families of fish."

"A home... It's not easy to let go of something this beautiful... so let's cherish it while we have it. This will always be a part of us, no matter where we go."

"At least this part is," she said softly, "Here is much more peaceful than life as a princess."

"Then let's forget about the royal court for just a moment," Sebastian said excitedly, "and I will race you through the coral reef. First one back to the kelp fields wins."

"This is quite the challenge for someone who just called me a fast swimmer," she said raising an eyebrow.

"Then prove to me I was right."

"You're on."

The two friends laughed and went a little further to what was the starting line. They both counted to three before bolting as fast as they could. They were twisting and turning through the reefs, passing schools of fish that waved hi to them. They swam as fast as they could through caves and narrow spots, laughing as they passed each other.

Rachel made it to the kelp fields first, shouting in victory as she laughed as Sebastian who came slowly after.

"Okay, okay," he panted again.

"Give up?" Rachel laughed.

"I surrender."

Rachel laughed as Sebastian fell onto one of the rocks with a thud and a sigh.

Suddenly, the sun seemed to be covered up, and the area around them turned dark. All of the remaining fish had swam away. There was a shape above them, and everyone knew what that shape was.

"Rachel..." Sebastian said nervously, "We need to get out of here."

"Wait," Rachel said, "I wanna see."

Then Rachel headed towards the surface ahead. The waves were strong when she hit the surface, the large ship that was beside her was made out of strong, dark wood. It towered over Rachel and she seemed a bit shocked by it, but definitely not afraid.

"Rachel," Sebastian said in a hushed tone as he came beside her, "Get below the surface before they see you!"

Rachel shook him off and swam closer to the boat. She climbed up onto the ledge to see the humans aboard. Then it hit her. She seemed almost completely struck by it, but there it was.

The mermaid princess caught sight of a human man. He wasn't tall, but he was fair skinned, the most perfect olive tone she'd ever seen. His eyes were not green like the seaweed, and they were not brown either, but they were a mix and it formed to most beautiful hazel color that Rachel had ever seen. His hair was the most perfect thing she had ever seen, it was dark brown, close to black, and there were perfect little curls in it and they moved with the breeze of the sea. He was dressed adventurously and he looked brave and strong and true.

"Prince Blaine!" one of the men called. The man turned and looked to him and gave him a wave.

"To the port!" he called.

His voice was soft and sweet. Slightly raspy, but smooth at the same time. He was dreamy. There was no doubt that he was the most beautiful thing that Rachel had ever laid eyes on. She was staring at him, smiling lovingly as she watched his arm muscles move as he worked with the ropes on the ship.

Rachel felt a tug on her arm and she fell back into the ocean with a splash as she screamed.

"Have you lost your barnacles!" Sebastian yelled, holding a firm grip on Rachel's arm, "You were almost seen!"

"Did you see him?" Rachel said softly, "He was... gorgeous and strong... so handsome...wonderful."

Rachel looked up towards the surface as the shape of the boat disappeared into the far distance.

"What the fish tails are you talking about?" Sebastian asked, incredibly confused.

"That man," Rachel said, still incredibly dazed, "The Prince! I have to find him again!"

"Who?" Sebastian asked.

She placed just her head above the surface, watching the ship grow smaller and smaller as it sailed into the horizon. She sighed, "Blaine..."


	5. Chapter 4: Blue Eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

* * *

When Rachel looked out the window to see the moonlight against the water, she'd think about the beauty of how the light bended once it hit the water and how it reflected against the castle at night. Now, all she could think about was Blaine, her very own handsome prince. What a gem he was to her in her mind. Rachel adored him, yet she has not spoken to him, all she did was see his face for a short minute, now claiming she's in love. Rachel swore to herself one day that she would return to the surface to find him again, just to talk to him, or simply look at him, but she wanted it to happen. She would see to it that it happened, and she would not stop until it did. And she came up with the perfect plan.

The kings had been distressed about a ship sailing above Columbus, and they worried. They assumed humans must have known about their kingdom and have searched for it. Rachel took this as an opportunity.

Rachel went to her father's throne room, both of them looking completely tired and worried.

"Father," she said, "Papa."

"Good afternoon Rachel," Leroy said, bowing his head.

"What brings you here this morning?" Hiram asked.

"I have a solution to your problem," Rachel said, crossing her hands behind her back to look formal.

"Do you now?" Leroy said, rising up from his chair interest.

Rachel nodded.

"This should be interesting," Hiram whispered to Leroy, "Let's hear your solution."

"Father," Rachel said before clearing her throat, "You and Papa know very well of my singing voice and how it enchants many men of land and sea."

"This is no surprise," Leroy said, leaning on his armrest on his throne.

"And Sebastian, as well as my brother, Reece, can vouch for me that I am a very fast swimmer."

"Go on," Hiram said, sounding a bit more interested.

"Well, here's what I was thinking," Rachel said, and then she took a deep breath, "The next time the sailors arrive, I simply lure them with my voice, but before they can reach me, I will be long gone and their ship will be heading in the other direction, away from the kingdom."

Leroy and Hiram stared blankly at Rachel for a moment to take in this information that Rachel gave them. Rachel stayed in one place, looking hopeful but doubtful at the same time. This plan may be the best thing she's ever done, or the worst.

"She's like you, Hiram," Leroy said admiringly, "She's strong hearted and quick. I don't doubt that she can do this."

Hiram sat expressionless for a moment in deep thought. Then he sighed and nodded.

"I agree, Leroy," he nodded, "I think Rachel would be a valuable help to us and our kingdom. This is also a good opportunity for you, Rachel, to take charge and protect your people. I commend you for this."

"Thank you papa, thank you father," she said excitedly.

This was perfect. The next time Prince Blaine's ship came to Columbus, she would finally be able to see him, and maybe he'd see her.

* * *

It wasn't long until the boat came again. The next morning, in fact, the same shadow appeared on the surface, blocking the sun.

"Rachel," Leroy said and he nodded.

Rachel nodded in return and she swam as fast as she could to towards the surface.

"Rachel!" Sebastian called after her, "What are you doing?"

"I've manipulated my fathers into letting me surface," she said, "I don't have much time, so in a few minutes, go and tell my fathers that I've decided to relax in the coral reef and I will be home in time for dinner."

"But Rach-."

"Please!" Rachel called.

Sebastian nodded and swam off as Rachel headed towards the kelp fields where no one could see her and the boats could.

Rachel raised her head above the surface, just her eyes and half of her nose sticking out of the water. There was a much smaller sailboat that was there, but the same man was sitting in it.

"Blaine," she thought.

She swam closer and closer, singing one of her enchanting songs. Blaine looked around for a moment, curious as if this was his voice he had been looking for, but then he sighed, because this wasn't the song she always sang, this wasn't the song that made his hear grow wings and fly. This however, was still a beautiful voice.

Rachel swam closer, unable to control the attraction she had to this gorgeous man. She reached her hand up and grasped onto the edge of the boat.

Blaine gasped and sat back in fear. "Are you… Are you one of Columbus?" he asked, shaking.

"I am," Rachel said smoothly and sweetly.

"Then show yourself, please, my lady," he said forcefully.

"I cannot," she replied, "For if I go any further, your ship falls to my kingdom… If you wish to see my face, come forth."

Blaine shook the boat a little bit while he made it to the other side, only to see the most striking pair of crystal blue eyes against a light tan complexion. Rachel's face remained expressionless as she saw the man fully analyze her face and features.

"You are mermaid?" he asked to make sure he was correct.

Rachel lifted the end of her tail out of the water to reveal the pink with shades of purple scales. "I am," she nodded.

"You must tell me who you are," he said, almost desperately, as if knowing this was going to make or break him.

Rachel was a bit stunned at the desperation, the hungry look on his face. He was looking for something, or someone. Maybe he just wanted to see a real mermaid, she thought. That must have been it.

"I am Rachel," she said formally, "Princess Rachel Berry of the Kingdom of Columbus."

"Rachel…" he repeated, the name falling sweetly off his tongue, making her own heart race as well as his.

"Now you must return the favor," she said curiously, "I must now know who you are other than a handsome man."

"I am Prince Blaine Anderson, of Lima," he said, holding out his hand in front of her. Rachel timidly held hers out to his. The contact between the moist, wrinkly and wet skin and the dry, smooth and warm skin felt like fireworks to the both of them. It felt like a revelation or a new discovery. It was truly magical.

After Blaine caught his breath, he placed a kiss on her hand like a gentlemen. His lips were soft against her hand, just as she had thought they would be in her dreams about him.

"Blaine…" she repeated the same as Blaine said her name, then followed by a confirming nod from the both of them.

"Why have you come to see me?" he asked, "Our worlds have yet to make contact in years."

"And yet, here you are, in search of us," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"I came to-," he was going to say to find a voice, but he didn't want to frighten the poor girl, she seemed timid enough to him, "I came to find out If the existence of your kind is true."

"And then you will go back to your land of the humans and tell them how to destroy us!" Rachel said, fear in her voice. She only sounded afraid because she hoped that Blaine wouldn't be like this, and she may have just failed everyone in the kingdom.

"No! Absolutely not!" he said almost immediately, "I don't wish to hurt you…. Or your kind. I am not a cruel ruler, I promise you."

"So you came for your own self knowledge?" Rachel asked, tilting her head in bewilderment.

Blaine nodded, "I did… I just had to know for myself if what my grandfather told me was true."

"Did he tell stories of us?" she asked, now fascinated.

"Many," Blaine said, feeling a bit more relaxed, "He told only told me these stories. My father didn't want to listen to his nonsense."

"Is your father a cruel man?" she asked.

"He was before he died in war."

"I am so sorry," Rachel said sadly.

"Don't be," Blaine said, not seeming to be harmed by this fact at all, "He was a cruel ruler. He did not want me as his son. He wished me to be more like my brother, Cooper."

"My fathers are the same," she sighed, "They want me to be like my sisters and brothers."

"Sisters AND brothers?" he asked, intrigued, "Dear Rachel, please tell me about them."

"My eldest sister is Rebecca," she began, "She is much older than me and she is getting married soon… an arranged marriage, so she is sad, but happy. Next is Rayna, she is far too strung up with the idea of finding a handsome man to marry, her twin, my brother Ryan is the same about girls. My brother Ray is very calm and very quiet. My sister Regina is a gem, she is more beautiful than any of my sisters, including myself."

"I refuse to believe that, Rachel," he protested, "Because you are the fairest creature I have ever laid eyes on… what stunning eyes you have too."

Rachel blushed, and suddenly, she felt a tug on her tail.

"Will you excuse me a moment?" she asked, not waiting for a reply before plunging into the water to see Sebastian.

"Seb!" she yelled, "What is so important?"

"Your fathers are curious!" he said worriedly, "They're on their way to see how it went."

"Oh no!" she said, then immediately returning to the surface.

"My fathers are coming!" she said quickly, "You must get out of here! If they ever knew you came here, they would surely have your head!"

"But when will I see you again?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," she said, pushing the boat towards the other end.

"Where?" he asked urgently.

"In the cave on the far side of this lagoon," she pointed towards the north side.

With that, Blaine rowed his boat away until it disappeared in the fog.


	6. Chapter 5: Siren

**AN: Happy Blainchel Week! I'm SOO incredibly excited to see what everyone else is going to be writing for the next glorious 7 days. Here is my gift to you all. This and the previous chapter of this story are a part of Fantasy/AU Day! Hooray! So I hope you enjoy. This chapter is honestly one of my favorites.**

**Also, I have been getting some PM's asking what Emma actually is. She has two legs like regular human, but she wears her hair in a bun and her neck and wrists have gills on both sides. Her body has several patches of scales. She wears a dark green colored gown. I hope this helps**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

* * *

Several days rolled by. Blaine and Rachel continued to meet during the hours of the sunset. Emma had made sure that nobody would ever see them, so she kept them in her cave so they could see each other in hiding. Rachel and Blaine both knew the consequences of each other's kingdoms finding out that they were conversing with someone who wasn't their kind. For Blaine, it resulted in terror and fear, as well as confusion, until everything would turn out like William did, and the people would want to destroy the mer-folk. For Rachel, it risked the humans finding out them and breaks several laws of the kingdom. However, neither of them were afraid that they were going to be caught. Blaine had trusted Rachel when she told him that nobody would ever be able to see them, now that her friend was helping them.

On one warm summer night, Rachel was sitting on a rock beside Blaine, the bottom half of her tail sticking in the water. The sunset had just faded away and the moon and the stars were just about to show up.

"You usually leave right about now," Blaine said casually, "I don't think either of us have ever stayed long enough to see the moon and stars."

"I know," Rachel said distantly, just staring at the moon, "I guess I consider the moon like my friend."

"The moon holds many secrets, dearest," he said, "It holds many purposes. For a woman who's husband is far away or no longer with her, it shows as a symbol of his love and devotion. For a farmer it is a sign that he must rest. For children, it is their comfort, the object they dream of… and for a lonely prince…," he sighed, "It is used as a placeholder for something beautiful."

Rachel turned her head in bewilderment, hoping that it meant that whenever he saw the moon, he was thinking of her.

"There's this voice that I hear," he said nervously, not intending to tell her this in the first place, "It comes every single night. It sings. Nobody else can hear it. Yet, I sleep better once I hear it. It makes my heart sing right along with it, like it knows the tune, even if I haven't heard it. It's special."

Rachel lit up on the inside. Rachel goes out to sing every night. Rachel waits until the moon rises to sing. Nobody can hear her sing. No one has ever told her that they hear her… but Blaine did. This had to mean something, she thought. It wasn't long at all before she caught herself staring at his lips again, so desperately wanting to plant a sweet kiss there. He looked like he could kiss well, and she wanted to know that for sure. But Rachel knew it was a long shot, because Blaine was human and Rachel was not. That was that.

"Princess," Emma's voice said from her closed shell, "I suggest that you return to the palace quickly, before your sisters, brothers and fathers find out that you have not yet returned from your trip today."

"Thank you, Emma," she said with a nod, "Dear Blaine, I must go."

"Sweet dreams, my princess," he said sweetly, leaning forward as if to kiss her, but he stopped himself and simply pecked her cheek.

Rachel's cheeks had rarely flushed like that, and she could definitely feel it once his lips touched her skin.

"And you, my prince," she smiled before jumping back into the water.

Rachel swam as fast as she could back to the palace from Emma's cave. It wasn't an easy path, but it also wasn't not familiar. In fact, she had known this path far too well from before she had starting talking to Blaine.

By the time she had returned, the kingdom was silent. There was not a soul that was awake. Rachel got to the tower where her bedroom was at the very top, and so she got ready to swim up when she heard a voice behind her.

"Going somewhere?" Shelby asked.

Rachel jumped in shock and slowly turned around with a look of guilt, "Coming from somewhere, actually."

"Mhmmm," she nodded, "Where? I do not believe the kelp fields would keep you from your home for that long. Or are you really that ashamed of your family?"

Rachel hung her head lowly and shook her head, "You wouldn't want to believe me if I told you."

"My dearest child," she said, coming towards her and placing a soft hand on her cheek, "I am here to listen… not to condescend you like your fathers are so fond of doing."

She took a sight of relief and directed them to sit on the steps of the palace entrance. "I have found something in someone," she began, not quite sure how to put it, "It's strange, I didn't expect things to turn out this way and I tried not to… but I just couldn't help myself… there's this boy, a prince. His name is Blaine-."

"A human?" she asked.

"How did you know?" Rachel asked shockingly.

"Unlike your fathers, I keep up with what is going on in the human world," she said.

Rachel nodded, confusingly, but continued. "This Prince, Blaine, and I have been meeting every night for the past few days in Emma's Cave. We usually watch the sunset together. Tonight, we saw the moon rise against the water's horizon line. It was very beautiful. Then, Blaine said the oddest thing… he said that there was this voice that he hears. Only he hears it. It's strange, but it makes him so happy. I can see it in his eyes… his beautiful hazel eyes… he just becomes so overcome with love when he talks about it."

"Ah," Shelby said after a brief moment of silence, "I know exactly what he is talking about."

"What is it?" Rachel asked, her face immediately lighting up.

"He is hearing a siren," Shelby said, with a soft and approving smile, "A siren is when a mermaid sings a song from the deepest part of her heart, it is a love song. Once it has been sung, only her one true love can hear it. Your grandfather heard mine and my father heard my mother's. Only few mermaids have this quality."

"So," Rachel said, holding up her hand to think for a moment, "Only a few mermaids have this quality… do my sisters have it?"

Shelby shook her head sadly, "No. That is why your fathers have chosen husbands for them, because they are incapable of easily finding true love like I have and my mother has. Your fathers don't believe you have a siren, that is why they intend on arranging a marriage for you."

Rachel nodded. It all made sense now. The reason why Rachel wanted to find true love was because she had the ability to find it, and she did find it. Blaine heard her siren. Blaine was her true love, which means that look of love and happiness in his eyes was for her. Now, she had the courage to kiss him, and she had the courage to face any obstacle to be with him forever.

* * *

Everyone who worked and lived in the royal palace of Lima saw that Blaine was much happier in these last few days. They had assumed that those last few voyages really have given him the heart to rule his kingdom. All he really needed was a vacation. However, that was only half the story, for the smile on Blaine's face was because of the kind and sweet soul he had found in Rachel. He was so happy, that he just wanted to tell all of his friends and family about his adventures with Rachel, but he knew that was a terrible idea. William, Blaine's grandfather, communicated with a mermaid many years ago, and he died in shame once people found out. If people knew Blaine was talking to Rachel, he would face the same fate.

So, Blaine would tell a portrait of William his stories of his voyages with Rachel. Every time he learned a new fact about the undersea world, he would write it in his grandfather's journal, which contained information about the mer-people in his time.

"She took me to see the kelp fields," Blaine said with an excited smile, "Of course I could only stick my head into the water, but they are in the shallow part of the ocean. The coral reefs are just below it. I wish you could see them, grandfather. Maybe you did! They are gorgeous, just like Rachel is. I wonder if she is the voice I hear at night. It only crosses my mind a few times, but I can't help but wonder because I seem to be just as drawn to her as I am drawn to this beautiful voice. I hope one day, Emma, the enchantress, will find a way to make her human, so we may be together."

Blaine got up from the chair in front of the portrait after sketching, from memory, the coral reefs below the surface. He went to the window, looking at the ocean and only thinking of Rachel. In that same second, the voice came out again, and his heart soared. He imagined Rachel's face singing those notes, the sweetest sound falling from her lips.

"Blaine?" Quinn's voice came from the doorway to his room.

Blaine turned around and saw Quinn in an elegant pink nightgown with a silk pink robe to match.

"Yes, my lady," he said, closing the balcony door, "Are your chambers not to your liking? Are you sleeping well?"

"My chambers are lovely," she said, then slowly walking into his room, "I was just a little lonely… I had trouble sleeping."

"Oh my," Blaine said sadly, walking over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, "What can I do to help? Would you like me to send for Santana."

"No, no," she answered quickly, her expression going from urgency to sweetness in one second, "I just need you, my sweet prince…"

Blaine could tell what she was trying to do. Quinn had always tried to attach herself to him, no matter how hard he tried to avoid her, she was always behind him or beside him. But Blaine didn't love Quinn, he wasn't sure if he loved Rachel because she is a mermaid, but he was positive that Quinn wasn't the one for him.

"You don't mind if I sleep here with you, do you?" she asked, biting on her bottom lip and looking hopefully into his eyes.

"Yes, I do mind," he said sternly, "It's traditional that we wait to sleep in the same bed until we're married."

Quinn playfully pouted her lip, her hands running up and down his arms at a slow pace, her eyes wandering over his body, "It's just one night, my love," she whispered, bringing her face closer to his, their lips barely touching.

"Princess, I insist that you go," he said, pressing his lips together to avoid her kiss.

"I insist that I stay," she said quietly.

Blaine opened his mouth to speak in protest, but Quinn had already pressed her lips against his before he could protest. While she closed her eyes in pleasure, Blaine's eyes remained open and curious as to why she felt the urge to force herself on him. The kiss was awkward for him, not to mention there was no spark. Surprisingly enough, Quinn felt no spark either, in fact she felt nauseated.

Once she decided to break the kiss, Quinn looked up at Blaine curiously to see his reaction, but Blaine remained expressionless.

"You should go," Blaine said once more, this time more serious than before and the anger rising in his voice, "Don't you understand, Quinn? I don't love you! I don't want you! I never did!"

The very second Blaine said those words, he knew that he was coming off too strong, that it was wrong of him to say such a thing, however it was the truth. Quinn backed away slowly, disappointment filling the young girl's eyes and she rushed out the door in an instant.

Quinn slammed the door to Blaine's room and stood at the door, crying. That was when Sam came walking down from the end of the hallway.

"Quinn!" he said urgently, "What's wrong?"

"The Prince doesn't love me!" she cried, "I have failed my kingdom. I have failed my people. How can I force him to marry me when he doesn't love me!"

"You don't love him either," Sam said, placing a hand on her cheek, "You love me."

"Captain Finn says you are not fit to unite these kingdoms," she said, shaking her head.

"But I am fit to be your husband and take care of you and after that, I will learn to rule your people, I will go back with you to Westerville an we will be married. I am from Lima, our kingdoms will be united through us," he looked down at her trembling hands, and he took them in his, holding them tightly, "Prince Blaine will rule Lima and we will rule Westerville together. There is nothing that I won't do without you."

Quinn looked up, the tears falling down her cheeks, "I wish it was that simple. I wish everyone felt this way."

Sam couldn't do anything anymore. He wasn't the Prince, he wasn't a respected figure of the royal family, he was simply a Lord of the palace, and he did not have as much power as Blaine did. But he knew he could do it, he knew he could rule the people if he tried. He also knew that he would do absolutely ANYTHING to make sure that he would be able to marry her, and that she would be happy. That was the most important thing on his mind.


	7. Chapter 6: One Touch

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters.**

* * *

The very next morning, Blaine figured it was a mistake to not go see Rachel the night before, considering the whole mishap with Quinn. He didn't intend to hurt her that way, and he was going to apologize to her before the day was through. Before that, though, he was going to take an earlier visit to go see Rachel at the Sea Witch's cove. He assumed Rachel would be delightfully surprised to see him this early in the morning.

He got into his smaller boat and left the docks just as the sun was beginning to rise. By the time the sun was just above the horizon line, he made it to Sea Witch's cave.

"Prince Blaine," Emma said with a jump, "We didn't expect your arrival until much later."

"I know," he said, jumping out of his boat and onto the rocky surface, "Will you send for her? Please?"

Emma nodded and placed her hand gently on top of the small transparent orb that stood on the pedestal in front of her. After she took a deep breath, the orb began foggy and then a few sparks were lit inside and the vision of Rachel appeared. Blaine moved closer to the orb to see the picture inside, and he saw her there, swimming in the coral reef she showed him. Rachel was laughing and giggling as she played with what looked like tiny fish. They were swimming around her and going through her hair, it looked like they were tickling her. Blaine suddenly felt guilty, how could he love a person who so connected to the ocean like this? That would mean he must take her to shore, and he could never ask her to leave this life that she looks so happy in. It would be too much.

Blaine's thoughts were then put on hold as he saw Emma pick up a sea shell, on it was written "Rise, little one. Someone is here to see you." She then placed the shell on top of the orb and watched it melt into the sphere. When Blaine looked back at the picture, he saw the shell come into view, and Rachel suddenly looked happier than she was a few moments ago, and she swam quickly out of the picture.

"She is rising," Emma said, gesturing to the water.

Moments later, Rachel came into view, only her head popping out of the water.

"Blaine!" she cried happy, "What are you doing here so early?"

"I hope I was intruding on anything," he said cautiously, getting on his knees to kneel towards her.

"For you, I'd stop anything," she smiled, "But I mustn't stay too long. My fathers will be suspicious if I'm here until sunset."

"I can't be away from my kingdom for long either," he nodded, "I just had to come and see you."

"Me too," she said happily, "I was much to sad that we couldn't see each other last night."

"I know, dear," he said, hanging his head low, "I'm sorry, I was much too busy with the kingdom."

"Well of course I understand," she said, "You are going to be a king. I can't imagine the amount of obligations you have to fulfill to your people. They need you."

"And your people don't?"

"I am not a king, nor am I a queen. I'm a princess. I am a model for young mermaids to be something special," she said proudly, "However, my fathers want me to be a respectable know-it-all and marry a stranger, like my sister Rebecca has."

"I like the way you view your job as a princess," he smiled softly, "Most princesses think they are meant to marry a powerful man and speak in hushed tones. I believe they are the prize of a child's eyes, especially a girl. It brings a new sort of joy to the children if they have a princess to watch over them while the kings are so busy doing everything else. If the princess sees a problem with the children, it is her responsibility to fix it, if not her, than who will? The Prince? No! He is meant to watch over his father, not only to make sure he is not ill, but to learn how to be a king."

"You are very smart," Rachel said admiringly.

"You are very brave," he said, now laying down on his stomach, his elbows propping him up so he was now at eye level to Rachel, "I wish to be as brave and strong hearted as you."

"My fathers would think that I am to be as responsible to the kingdom as I am to myself, in which case, they would think me to be like you," she said, cringing for a moment, "An arranged marriage… I don't wish to know or understand why they are so important. If I marry, I marry for love…"

Rachel's voice grew to a small whisper when her eyes met his. That beautiful shade of hazel made her falls weak for him. It must have been the way that he looked at her that made her so crazy about him.

"Such a wonderful thing, love," he said softly.

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't awkward, it was sweet, at least in Rachel's opinion it was.

"Tell me more about this voice you hear," she said excitedly, just to hear his voice again, "When do you hear it? What does it sound like?"

"Well… I hear it at night. It's like it's only conjured by the light of the moon. I don't blame it really, how could it not sing of joy by the way my kingdom and yours looks at night."

Rachel began to swim over to a nearby rock, one that was steeper so she could sit on it with the tips of her tail in the water like she liked, but the straight side of the rock was facing Blaine, so she turned over on her stomach so she could listen to him while she played with her fingers in her hair.

"It sounds like… it sounds like what you'd think happiness sounds like, or even love… maybe. It's as clear as a bell. She may not be singing any words… but in my heart, I feel as if she's singing of joy, peacefulness and the desire of her heart. It's like she's telling me what she's feeling. But she's only telling me… me and only me. It's like she's giving me her heart… that's why I came to find her… so I could give her mine in return."

As Rachel was listening, her heart was beating fast at the way his voice sounded when he was getting romantic. She noticed the way his expression changed from curious to sweet and loving. What really made her heart sore was that he was talking about her all this time. Rachel knew about the siren, about how she goes out to sing at night and how Blaine was the only one who ever heard her sing. The song was meant for him, and he was telling what it meant to him that she was doing that. This was her true love. Suddenly, the love in her heart grew too strong and she let it out with that same song, the song that she never thought about, but it just came from her heart and soul.

"It sounds like that!" he jumped up onto his feet as if he had just seen a bright light for the first time in his entire life, "Oh Rachel! Do you hear-."

Blaine could no longer speak when he looked over to Rachel and saw her lips moving as she sang. She was bashfully smiling as the notes came out of her mouth.

"It's you…" he whispered.

Rachel slowly came off the rock and disappeared into the water, and Blaine suddenly became hesitant to jump in after her, telling her not to leave so soon or to come back immediately.

He got back on his knees and looked nervously into the water, still hearing her song. She must have been singing it beneath the water.

Rachel went down under the water just to let out all of the joy she had while jumping and diving and spinning around and smiling. Then she looked up and saw Blaine looking over from the surface, he seemed frightened and nervous, so she swam back up to the surface head first and her head came out of the water, inches away from Blaine's face.

"You're the one I've been looking for," he said softly, and then smiled.

"I have dreamed you would say that one day," she smiled, "but never did I think you would actually say it."

Then, in the same instant, Blaine leaned his head down just a tad and placed a sweet kiss on Rachel's lips. Rachel held onto the rock for leverage as she pushed herself up to kiss him. Blaine pushed his hands underneath the surface to grab Rachel by the sides of her torso and pulled her up so she could sit on the edge, still kissing her slowly and passionately, keeping one hand on her torso and the other on her cheek while she brought her hand up to his head. Rachel had never been kissed like this before. She could feel that there was real love between them now, nothing would ever keep her from trying to be with him forever.

Suddenly, Rachel fell into the water and she let out a loud shriek.

"Rachel!" Blaine yelled, seeing the blood on the rock's edge. Someone had dragged her off the edge and she scratched her tail. This angered Blaine, so he grabbed onto her hand firmly, "What's happening?"

"I'm being pulled back!" she cried, grabbing onto his hand with both her hands now, "Blaine! I won't leave you!"

"I've got you!" he cried back, "I'm not letting go!"

The water began to be more ferocious as it moved, swirling around Rachel as it was trying to suck her back into the ocean. She knew that someone had ratted her out, someone had told her fathers what happened and now they were taking her away from the man she loves. The current became stronger and stronger the more she resisted and she felt her hands slowly slipping away from Blaine's. She looked into his eyes with a sad, yet reassuring look.

"No…" he protested, shaking his head while using his other hand to hold on to her.

"It's too strong," she said, sadness filling her voice, "I'll find a way to see you."

"What if I don't?" he asked worriedly, "Rachel, it's too soon!"

"Go home," she said with a nod, "Go home and take care of your people. This isn't goodbye forever."

After a few deep breaths, Blaine let go of her hand and Rachel was sucked into the current, going back under the water and she ended up in the palace throne room with her father's angrier than ever.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!?" Hiram shouted, "COMMUNICATE WITH A HUMAN!"

"Although it seems you were doing much more than communicating," Leroy said sternly.

"This is an ABSOLUTE BETRAYAL!" Hiram said and with a bang, his fist hit the table, making it collapse instantly.

"They are not like us!" Leroy argued, "They are only here to take their information and then use it against us and wipe out our entire kingdom. They are nothing but wild savages looking for blood!"

Rachel then became angry and shook her head vigorously. "That isn't Blaine!" she protested, "He is not just some barbarian! He's a real person with a real heart!"

"He has made you a fool," Leroy said sadly.

"He listens to me!" Rachel yelled.

"HE'S LYING TO YOU!" Hiram yelled back.

"You don't know him…" Rachel said, trying to keep herself from crying.

"You're right. I don't know him, and I don't want to know him!" Hiram said sternly.

"You don't understand because you don't understand anything outside of these palace walls!" Rachel yelled, "All you care about is being king, why don't you ever care about being a father for once in your lifetime!?"

"We are being fathers!" Leroy shouted, "We are trying to protect you from something dangerous."

"But Blaine is not dangerous!" Rachel screamed, "He is kind and sweet and he listens and he cares for his people. He's accepted me for being different than he is and he has opened his heart to me!"

"That's enough, Rachel," Hiram commanded.

"You will never know a more loving soul than Blaine's, and you insist on judging him based off of what happened 17 years ago!"

"Rachel," Leroy said angrily, "He is a threat to our people! He is a monster!"

"I LOVE HIM!" she shouted.

Hiram and Leroy paused for a moment just to keep them from getting angrier.

"Rachel…" Leroy said, "This is a serious crime! If you weren't a princess, you'd be killed for this!"

"We've decided to have you bound to the castle," Hiram demanded, "You are forbidden to ever leave these walls ever again, and you will be put on watch by a guard who will be by your side from dawn until dusk."

"But what about Blaine!?" she yelled.

"You will never see him again," they both said.

Rachel backed away at the shock. She would never see his sweet face ever again. She would never feel his lips on hers or his strong arms around her and she would never hear his voice ever again. This was enough to break her heart in two. There was absolutely no way Rachel Berry could love anyone the way she loved Blaine.

* * *

None of Rachel's siblings tried to comfort her while she sat in her bed, crying her eyes out. It was proven that there was nobody else out there for Rachel. He heard her siren, Blaine was her true love, and it was the most heartbreaking thing to ever be apart from her true love like this. It was the deepest sorrow Rachel had ever experienced in her life.

Rachel had a dream that night about walking on the shore with a pair of legs and everything. She was wearing a white gown, it was simple and thin and flowed gracefully in the wind. Beside her was Blaine, looking as handsome as ever before. They took each other's hands and shared a kiss before walking together along the shore as the people of their kingdom watched and adored them. But how? How could she ever get that? How could she turn into a human and be with Blaine again? When Rachel woke up, she realized what she had to do.

"Emma," she gasped.

There wasn't anymore questions. Rachel had to run away and find Emma and get her to find a way to change her into a human. If nothing would work, then she would return to her sorrow by morning.

Rachel didn't bother going out the door, so she swam out of the large window. She rolled her eyes at how her fathers were dumb enough to leave the window unattended and wide open for her to sneak out of.

"Rachel?" Rachel heard Sebastian's voice from his house down in the village.

"Seb," Rachel whispered, "Keep quiet."

Sebastian swam closer to her, looking very concerned.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going back to see Emma," she said, swimming determinedly away.

"What!?" Seb said in a shouted whisper, "You were lucky you didn't get the death penalty for what you did, Rachel."

"I don't care," she said, not taking her eyes off her path.

"If you go, something much worse is going to happen to you," he said worriedly, following after her.

"Nothing can stop me from being with the man I love," she protested, "and it's proven too. I have a siren… and Blaine heard it."

Sebastian sighed, knowing that there's nothing you can say to get Rachel off the path she's headed. If it's something she wants, there is no turning back. "Oh fine," he shrugged and followed after her.

Once they reached Emma's Cove, she swam underneath the cave to her underwater cove, Sebastian following quickly after her.

"Hello!" Sebastian called.

"Emma!" Rachel called, "Emma! I need your help!"

Suddenly, the rocks around her began to shake and Emma emerged from one of them, her figure slowly appearing from the stone.

"Yes, my children," she said in her usual plain voice, then she caught sight at who was in front of her, "Don't tell me. I know what you want… you want to see your precious prince Blaine again, don't you?"

"More than ever, Emma," she pleaded.

"Asking to turn a mermaid into a human is a big task," Sebastian said, "but we figured there's nothing you can't handle."

"Would you please, Emma?" Rachel begged, "I need to see him… I'm in love with him… and you saw it! He loves me too."

Emma was still for a moment, crossing her arms across her chest, then she finally spoke. "Right then," she sighed, "Follow me up to the surface, if you don't mind."

Emma swam up above the water and stood up on the rocks. Rachel and Sebastian shared a look of confusion and approval and followed her after, sitting up on the rock's edge.

"So can you really help?" Rachel asked.

"I can help, but it's not me doing the magic," she said, "That's all you."

"Me?" Rachel asked, "How? I'm not a Sea Witch."

"Ah, but you are human inside," she said with a mysterious nod.

"What are you talking about?" Sebastian asked, extremely confused.

Emma placed her hands on the transparent orb again, and closed her eyes while speaking in a low and mystical voice while the image of what she was saying appeared before them in the orb.

"17 years ago, Queen Shelby discovered a small boat, inside it were the two bodies of what seemed to be a husband and wife. Both of them lie dead in the boat. However, inside there was a tiny baby girl. The queen brought her son and his king to see the baby and begged them to take the child. But the child was human, and humans cannot live with mermaids. The Queen brought the baby to me, and I turned her into a mermaid. The spell works as follows, when the child is fully out of water, she turns into a human, but when she is in the ocean waters, she turns back into a mermaid. Three times must she do this before she chooses the path she wishes the live. But once has been wasted when the king discovered her power…. That baby girl then grew to be Princess Rachel."

Rachel stared blankly at the orb for a moment. "I was born… human?" she asked, "and I can change into a human if I want?"

Emma gestured to the open space on the rock, "Why don't you see for yourself."

Rachel looked to Sebastian for a moment, "Boost me up, will you?"

Sebastian nodded and went back under the water to push her tail up above the water. Rachel used her forearms to drag herself onto the land until all of her tail left the water for the first time that she could remember. Suddenly, a tingling sound went through her tail and she felt herself begin to shake. It was strange feeling and she giggled at how it tickled her. Sebastian saw a cloud of smoke appear around her and several sparks were flying, which seemed to be Emma's theme. When the smoke cleared, Rachel emerged from it, standing on two legs in a knee length purple and pink silk dress, as a human.

"Rachel?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes," Rachel said, sounding as if she'd burst from excitement at any minute.

"You look… different."

"I'm human," she said quietly at first, then she screamed and jumped into the air, "I'm human!"

Rachel began to run and skip around the cave, laughing and smiling at her new found freedom.

"Rachel," Emma said cautiously, "Remember, the spell works 3 times. The first time when you were a baby, the second time at this very moment. You have one more chance to change into a human again. When your feet touch the ocean water, you will turn into a mermaid again, and when you reach the surface, you will turn back into a human for the last time. If you choose to return to the ocean again, you will remain a mermaid forever."

Rachel nodded.

"Sebastian," Emma called to him, then turning to her cabinet, "What is a high strung girl without a friend in the new world?"

"Me?" he asked.

"Wouldn't you like to see the girl you've been talking to?" she asked, "the one you are so found of? Wouldn't you like to learn more about her and the people around her?"

"Yes, of course," he said, a bright smile growing on his face.

Emma took out a bottle from the cabinet. It was old and dusty looking and it was yellow and on it was the shape of the sun. "Since you are born one of the mer-folk, this will change you into a human with no side effects, to change back if you wish to, just drink it again and jump into the ocean."

Sebastian's eyes widened and a huge grin flew across his face. "You mean… I can actually be human? And be with the human girl?" he asked, the joy in his eyes growing with each passing second.

Emma nodded and gestured towards Rachel. Rachel, smiling almost as brightly as Sebastian, took the bottle of potion, along with some clothes and gave it to Sebastian for him to drink.

Sebastian took a drink from the bottle and within seconds, he snatched the clothes from Rachel's hand and sunk back into the water. Rachel was puzzled for a minute, and looked to Emma, who gave her an approving nod. Suddenly, Sebastian emerged from the same spot as a human as well.

"Rachel?" he asked, wobbling over to her, "How do I look?"

"Fantastic," she smiled, taking his shoulders so he could keep his balance, "but you might want to work on your walking a little bit."

"We all can't be born human," he laughed.

"Well," Rachel sighed, "We'll be walking a lot, so you'll get used to it soon enough."

"Are you ready?" Emma asked, returning to her crystal orb, "I will take you to the beaches of Lima, but you must find your way to your prince and your maiden."

The two of them nodded and turned to face Emma, Sebastian biting nervously on his lip and Rachel reaching down to grab his hand.

"Good luck," Emma whispered before there was a sudden flash of light.

Smoke then formed around the two friends, now hugging each other from being nervous and excited at the same time. Sparks were flying around them and the smoke suddenly faded away faster than it came and a beach surrounded them. The rocky cave floor beneath them was now smooth sand. The sound of the ocean waves were to one side of them and on the other side in the distance was a small village.

Rachel looked at Sebastian with excited eyes. "It's over there, on that hill!  
she shouted, then turning to the village to see a palace on a high hill surrounded by trees, "That's where Blaine lives... LET'S GO!"

"Wait! Rach!" Sebastian yelled, grabbing onto Rachel's arm.

"What's wrong, Seb?" she asked, shaking with happiness in the very spot she stood in.

"Your eyes…" he said sadly.

"What about them?"

"They've turned… brown."

Rachel gasped, touching the skin near her eyes. She didn't have a mirror to see if this was true, so she simply took his word for it.

"Why?" she asked confusingly, "Does this happen when I turn human?"

Sebastian pressed his lips together for a moment, then his eyes were filled with despair and fear.

"What?" Rachel asked urgently, "What's wrong, Seb?"

"I overheard your fathers in the throne room," he said fearfully, "I didn't think it was true, but apparently it is."

"What's true? Tell me!" she demanded.

"They were talking about what would happen if you did see Blaine again," he said, biting on his lip to try and remember, and then his expression saddened, "They changed your eye color last night… it holds a spell in it, a mind erasing spell. Blaine won't remember anything about you."

Rachel's hands flew over her mouth and she kneeled down on the sand, crying in fear. What was going to happen now? It would be much harder to win the prince over. Now nothing of their days on the rocks together existed in his mind, only in her memories, which were now fantasies.

And for the first time, Rachel felt real tears stream down her face.


	8. Chapter 7: First Glance

**Sorry for another hiatus. School is getting really complicated and time consuming, but I have several more chapters waiting in the wings, so the next update should be around tomorrow :) Also, I was busy writing EPISODE 2 of the BLAINE AND RACHEL SHOW. It's on tumblr, the url is blaine-and-rachel-show. So go check that out later! But here's chapter 7!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

* * *

After Sebastian calmed down Rachel a bit, she realized this was going to be a lot more work than expected. However, there wasn't a deadline, as long as she stayed out of the ocean, then she'd be fine and have more time to either help Blaine remember, or get him to fall in love with her. She would do whatever it took, because he was her true love, and she didn't need the siren to know in her heart that was true.

It wasn't long before Sebastian and Rachel reached the village square of Lima. The very first thing Rachel noticed was the decorations and the happiness that seemed to be filling every last corner of the village.

"I wonder what they're celebrating," Sebastian whispered to Rachel.

Rachel shrugged, "I guess we'll have to find out."

Sebastian's eyes got wide as he looked around the village, touching every other object in sight to get a feel of what was going on around him. "Rachel!" he gasped, "There is so much to learn from these people!"

Rachel laughed at how her best friend seemed to look like a 3 year old in a toy store, his eyes filled with wonder and excitement. Meanwhile, she was looking around to see if there were any people who could tell them what was going on. The only problem was that there wasn't one person who wasn't dancing or talking or laughing with delight. There had to be someone who wasn't occupied with festivities so they could talk to them.

Eventually, Rachel's eyes wondered around until she found someone. She looked very exotic and beautiful. She was dressed in a white puffy shirt and a flowing purple skirt with dozens of golden bells and ornaments that made beautiful noises when she walked. The woman was sitting on a nearby bench holding a basket next to her and smiling softly as she watched the people cheering and hollering.

"Seb," Rachel called, grabbing onto Sebastian's arm, "Do you see her?"

Sebastian looked to where Rachel was looking and the world suddenly seemed to stop for him. The girl was beautiful. This girl may have been the most beautiful sight in the world to him. It was like magic, the way she looked. She was enchanting. Her hair was black and long, her skin was a sweet caramel tone that looked gorgeous in the light of the sun.

"Do you think she'll be able to help us?" he asked, hoping they would be able to go and talk to the fair maiden.

"I don't see why not," Rachel said.

The two of them walked over towards the girl.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, "I'm sorry to intrude on you like this, but we were just wondering what was going on. You see, we're not from around here."

The girl sighed and patted the seat next to her, both of them took either side of her so the girl was in between them. While she spoke, Rachel listened intently and Sebastian just watched her talk, admiring the way her raspy and firm voice sounded with just a hint of a Spanish accent.

"These people have been celebrating for days," she said, rolling her eyes, "Every morning, noon and night there is nothing but dancing and music. Sometimes it lasts all night long. But they have reason to celebrate, for the war that caused them so much pain is finally over."

"A war?" Rachel asked.

"Between our kingdom and Westerville," the girl said sourly, "They have been attacking us for many years. The soldiers of Westerville killed the father of our prince. To this day, our prince doesn't stop finding ways to keep us safe and protected."

"Prince Blaine?" Rachel asked, an obvious tone of excitement growing in her voice.

The girl nodded, "Yes… I am a maidservant in his palace."

"Oh! Well that's good! We're here to see him!" Rachel nodded, along with Sebastian.

"Are you?" she asked, looking over at both of the newcomers by her side, "Then I suggest I take you to the palace as soon as possible. Prince Blaine is very busy."

"Oh thank you!" Rachel gasped, wrapping her arms around the girl for a hug while the girl awkwardly hugged back, "My name is Rachel."

"And my name is Sebastian," he said, taking her hand and giving her a small kiss on it.

"I am Santana," she said, patting both Rachel and Sebastian on their shoulders, "You both have a very warm spirit, I think we're going to get along just fine-."

"HALT!" a booming voice came from outside the crowd.

Suddenly, all of the villagers ceased their dancing as celebrating as two large horses came storming through the streets. Rachel cowered into Sebastian's side as two knights from the palace came before them holding spears and weapons on their belts.

"Santana Lopez," one of them said in a deep and frightening voice, "Who are these two people? They do not look like they are from here."

"I assure you, they are no harm to us," she assured them.

"It is illegal to smuggle foreigners into the land!" the other one shouted, "For all we know they could be spies from Westerville!"

After these words were spoken, all of the villagers cleared the streets, running into the first building they could see and staring out the windows in fear.

"We are not!" Sebastian argued, "We're not spies, nor are we from Westerville."

The knight shook his head, as if he didn't hear a word Sebastian had just said.

"Take them to the dungeon!" he boomed, "All of them!"

The other knight grabbed his handcuffs and chains from his belt, and Rachel closed her eyes and only hoped for a miracle, someone to save them… she wished Blaine were here.

The knight grabbed hold of Rachel's arm, lifting her off the ground, dangling by her arm, and she closed her eyes tightly as she prepared for the sting of the handcuffs around her wrist when suddenly she heard another pair of trotting horseshoes.

"Unhand that fair maiden at once!" another voice yelled.

Rachel opened her eyes, and what she saw calmed her, yet set off fireworks inside her entire body.

"As Prince of Lima, I command that you release the beautiful girl at once!" Blaine yelled.

"But your majesty," the knights said, bowing their heads, "They could be spies."

"Or they could just be allies," Blaine said sternly, "You must not jump to conclusions, as the war is now over."

"Our apologies your majesty," one of the knights said, letting go of Rachel's hand, and she fell to the ground.

"That will be all then, return to your posts at the castle without detour, is that clear?" he demanded.

"Yes, sire," they both said, riding their horses away into the distance.

Blaine rolled his eyes as he watched them ride away, then get got off his own horse and got down on one knee beside Rachel, who was now cut on her arm from the fall.

"Are you all right, fair maiden?" he asked, holding out his hand to her, "I am terribly sorry for their irrational behavior."

Rachel looked at his hand, then up to him, her heart growing warmer and warmer at the fact that Blaine was finally there by her side again.

"Thank you," she said quietly, holding onto his hand as he helped her up, "You can't really blame them for being so irrational. While the people celebrate, the guards have a much sharper eye for any unexpected attack."

"Indeed, but to blame a diamond like yourself… That is pure nonsense," he said, placing his hand on her back as he guided her back to Sebastian's side.

"Your majesty, thank you for helping me and my friend," Sebastian said, holding out his hand, "I am Sebastian and this is Rachel."

"They are new friends of mine," Santana said, standing closer to Blaine side as he shook the taller boy's hand.

Blaine's eyes widened and a smile grew across his face, "Well any friends of Santana's are welcome to stay with us in the palace until the end of your visit."

"You are very kind," Rachel said sweetly.

"It's the least I can do for you, dear… what is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Rachel," she said, a smile growing across her face.

Rachel could see that in Blaine's eyes, he was getting happier as he heard her name, but then suddenly his expression changed.

"You seem familiar, but I'm sure we haven't met before," he laughed.

Rachel sighed and smiled softly, as if to play along, when all the while, the fact that he couldn't remember her broke her heart.

* * *

Blaine escorted Rachel, Sebastian and Santana to the palace soon after. When they got there, Rachel was in awe of it all. It was as big as her castle in Columbus, but it was different. The walls were made of marble instead of gold, and there weren't as many open spaces as there were in her palace. The fish swam freely in and out of the gaps that the castle provided for them. Here, it was very closed off and grand. There were many curtains, but they were not maid of seaweed, but instead a soft and thick red material.

Santana showed Rachel and Sebastian to their room after they explored the castle for a little while. Rachel and Sebastian's rooms were very small, all it had was a basin, a mirror with a desk and a chair, and a single bed. However, they both had a lovely balcony and a view. The rooms were next to each other, so all they had to do was walk onto the balcony and they would see each other there.

The closets in Rachel's room were full of gorgeous gowns. In Columbus, Rachel only ever wore the same pink seashells and only dressed up by changing them for special occasions. These were very extravagant and elegant gowns, and Rachel couldn't wait to try on every single one of them.

When Santana came to tell Rachel that it was time for dinner, Rachel took out the first gown she saw in the closet and took the time to put it on her, seeing how human clothes would look on her for the first time.

The gown was a deep shade of red. It was a very long, in length, dress and it was very tight fitting on her torso and poufy from the waist down to the floor. The top of the dress was a strapless design with read laces in beautiful patterns came over her shoulders and down to her elbows. She pinned her hair up above her head and powdered her nose before it was time to go to dinner.

Rachel met Sebastian in the foyer of the castle just before the dinning hall, and she ran towards him, her shoes clicking against the floor as she did so, meeting him with a hug. Sebastian was wearing a white shirt, a grey vest over it and a long red jacket overtop of that, that flowed down to the back of his knees, along with black pants.

"Oh Sebastian! This is all so wonderful," she gasped, "Look! We match!"

Sebastian laughed and embraced his friend once more, "This is really it. I can't believe this is actually happening to us."

"To think we could still be stuck racing through the kelp fields by now," she laughed.

"There will be plenty of other times to race through the kelp fields, Rach. This is so much more than that."

Santana came out from the doors in a simple maid's garment, nodding her head, and the two of them followed her into the dining hall.

In the dining hall was a large table that stretched from one of the room to the other, and the room was very large. Above the table hung a chandelier and the windows at the other end of the room took up the entire wall and provided a gorgeous ocean view. Sitting at the table, Rachel recognized Blaine, but there was a blonde man sitting beside him.

"Ah! Sebastian and Rachel!" Blaine said cheerfully from the head of the table, "Come join us!"

They both nodded to each other and then moved as gracefully as possible to the table, Sebastian holding onto her hand in a very formal manner. Sebastian pulled Rachel's chair out for her and she took a seat, Sebastian taking his seat soon after.

"Rachel, Sebastian, this is Lord Sam," he said, gesturing towards Sam.

"Hello," Rachel said with a gentle wave.

"It's nice to meet you Sam," Sebastian said.

"Likewise," he said plainly, staring at his plate, then he looked up at Blaine, "Will there be any more joining us tonight?"

"No, a few of our normal guests have gone back to their home land to do some last minute plans," Blaine said as Sam's expression faded.

"What would you like to eat tonight?" Blaine asked, "The kitchen is serving a wonderful fish platter or a wide selection of poultry."

"Fish?" Rachel mouthed to Sebastian, who gave her a fearful nod. There was no way they were going to eat the fish, especially since they probably talked to that fish in Columbus at one point. They weren't just going to eat their friends.

"Poultry," they both said.

"Fine then," Blaine said, waving off to what seemed to be the kitchen staff, then he continued to eat.

After swallowing some of his drink from his cup, he set it down and looked towards Rachel and Sebastian.

"So," Blaine sighed, "If you two are going to be staying in my palace, I must know a little more about you. Where are you from?"

Rachel looked over at Sebastian and gave him a nod. He was much more educated than Rachel was, so he knew about all the kingdoms in the human world.

"We are from… C-Canton!" he said, widening his eyes and smiling, "Yes, we are from Canton."

"Canton…" Blaine said, biting on his lip in deep thought, "Oh yes! Canton! It's a very lovely kingdom."

"It really is," Rachel said happily, "I am a… duchess there. Yes! I am the duchess of Canton."

"And this must be your duke?" Blaine asked, pointing towards Sebastian, "How long have the two of you been married?"

Rachel looked as Sebastian with wide eyes and they both started to laugh.

"Have I been mistaken?" Blaine asked.

Rachel took a few deep breaths and sighed before speaking, "You are not the first to think Sebastian and I are married. We are practically inseparable. But no, we are not married. Although he is a duke, right, Seb?"

"Y-Yes!" he stuttered, "I am! I am a duke! We're cousins, actually."

"Oh! My apologies," Blaine said.

"Don't," Rachel assured him, reaching over to rub his shoulder, "People assume we're married all the time, so you are definitely not the first."

Blaine nodded and smiled, "Then are you two friends?"

"We are the greatest of friends," Rachel said, smiling at Seb, "Cousins as well, but most importantly, we are friends."

"Yes, it is always good to have dear friends," Blaine smiled, "I have Santana. She is like a sister to me, if she can trust the two of you, I can trust her better judgment, and it seems I have successfully so. You two are delightful people."

"How kind of you," Rachel said softly with a smile, her eyes admiring the way Blaine looked in his home, how comfortable he was, and how gorgeous he looked against the light of dusk.

* * *

Once the table was cleared, Rachel and Sebastian were excused to do whatever they wished until nightfall, when they would return to their bedrooms and get some sleep.

Sebastian went back up to his room at a fairly early hour, before the sun even went down, but Rachel decided to stay and search around the castle some more.

After going through the second floor and looking at all of the empty rooms, she went back down to the main floor and simply walked passed all of the windows, watching the sun go down against the ocean horizon. It was beautiful, just as she ever imagined watching the sun set on land. Rachel looked ahead and found a pair of doors leading to another room. When she opened them, she found noting but a few light candles and a piano by the window, giving her the same view.

Rachel walked in slowly, making sure nobody was in there or saw her in the first place. She walked to the piano bench and sat down there and started to play. As she played, she listened to the loud waves crashing on the shore from one open window panel. It helped to let her fingers just dance along with keys and create a beautiful song that she used to play for her grandmother. She closed her eyes and saw Shelby sitting beside her, smiling along with her fathers and siblings. Nobody in her family really had an eye for music except herself.

"You're a lovely piano player," a voice said from the entrance of the door.

Rachel's fingers slammed against the keys in fright and she gasped, then looking over to see Blaine standing there, smiling at her.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said calmly.

"That's perfectly all right," Rachel said, straightening herself out, "I'm not supposed to be in here anyway, am I?"

"Nonsense," he said, walking into the room, "The piano is for everyone's use. You play it beautifully."

"Thank you," she said softly with a gentle smile.

Blaine walked closer to her and sat beside her on the piano bench, gently placing his hands on the keys and began playing himself.

"You play beautifully too," Rachel said, smiling at the keys.

"Thank you," he smiled, "I'm a little rusty though, I never started playing until my father passed away."

"Why?" she asked.

"Well…" he said, taking his hands off the keys, "My parents never let me play. They thought that it was going to distract me from fulfilling my royal duties. But once they were both gone, I decided to see what it would do for me. It relaxes me, actually."

"It relaxes me too," Rachel said quietly, gracing her fingers over the white keys, "My fathers used to let me play when I was little, but then they thought that the creative freedom I had gave me silly ideas, so they took my piano away from me."

"How awful," he said with a frown.

"But I guess that's parents, right? Especially those who are teaching you how to be royalty."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Blaine asked, tilting his head, intrigued with her ideas.

"Well, with them, you never get to have any fun of your own," she sighed, "It's like you have to follow one path for the rest of your life with no choices, you don't get to decide anything."

"I do," he nodded, "I choose to do what I can for my people."

"But that's easy for you," she said, looking over at him, "You're going to be king. You're obligations are very clear. But I'm just a pri-." She coughed, "Duchess. I'm just a duchess. I don't have as great of obligations as you do. Without you, the kingdom will have no one to look up to. But what am I?"

"Well, a duchess could provide a voice of wisdom," Blaine said, shrugging, "She could be a supportive caretaker for the palace, make sure everything on the inside stays in tact instead of in destruction. I would know, my duchess and I have many a laugh with stories from when I was little."

"Do tell," Rachel said excitedly, clapping her hands softly together.

Blaine laughed softly and threw his head down before adjusting himself in his seat to face her. "When I was a little boy… my parents gave me a whole section of the castle yard for me to keep whatever animals I wanted. One day, I asked for a harmless corn snake… the duchess at the time was my aunt, and she was watching over me, not to mention she was tired, running all over the castle and making sure everything was ready for my parents return. She rested on that sofa over there in the corner of the room, so I took my corn snake and stuffed it up her dress."

Rachel threw her hand over her mouth as she laughed, "and what did she do?"

"Well you can only imagine how a tired busy body acts when she sees a snake coming up from her cleavage."

Blaine and Rachel laughed together. Blaine was reenacting the terrible scream she made, and Rachel laughed so hard that she threw her head onto his shoulder, making him smile.

"What's so funny?" an icy and gentle voice came from the same doorway.

Rachel cleared her throat several times before sitting upright once again while Blaine's expression turned to a mixture of happiness and fear.

"Quinn," he gasped, "You're home early."

"All of the arrangements have been made, everything is all set," Quinn said sharply, keeping an intent lock on Rachel, "Who's this? Why is she leaning on your shoulder and laughing?"

Blaine popped up from the piano bench and rushed to Quinn's side, taking her hands in his. "This is Santana's friend, the Duchess Rachel from Canton."

Quinn raised her eyebrows in a jealous rage and turned to face Blaine.

"Oh my dearest," Blaine said, kissing her cheek, "I still plan on marrying you, like I said last night, remember?"

Rachel's eyes grew wide once again. There was not much more she could take in one day. Not only did Blaine not remember who she was, but he was getting married. _MARRIED. _ The final nail on Rachel's sinking coffin would be when Blaine pledged his love to a woman that wasn't her. But it was all a lie in her eyes. Blaine was supposed to be with Rachel, and they had connected so well with each other just 30 seconds before, and days earlier before she turned into a human. If he would have just remembered, then she would show up on his doorstep and he'd marry her in a heartbeat, but he didn't remember and he was marrying someone else. Now there was nothing left for her.

Absolutely nothing.


	9. Chapter 8: Secrets and Promses

**AN: Okay, this is the halfway point in the story. I can't believe it's half over! I'm OBSESSED with writing this fic! Haha so I hope you guys are enjoying it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

* * *

Sebastian was in his room, jotting down things in his journal that he managed to save from Emma's cove. Every time he found something human-like under the water, he'd go to Emma's cove, ask what it was and write it down. While he looked through his journal he saw the different kinds of silver wear, the candles, the fires, the horse drawn carriages and how they were different from the seahorse drawn carriages, and then he turned the page and saw an imprint of a seashell in the paper. The writing next to it said, "I've met a girl from a message in a bottle. I intend to write back to her. She wants to find true love, but has been unsuccessful… [3 moons later] I think I'm in love…"

"What's that you got there?" Santana asked, knocking on the open door.

Sebastian closed her journal slowly and sat up on his bed, "Just some writing that I used to do a while ago."

"You write?" she asked.

Sebastian nodded and set the book down on the bedside table.

"No, no," she protested, "Don't put it away, I wouldn't want to disturb you."

"I wasn't writing anything, just reading it through," he said.

"Would you like to read me some?" she asked.

Sebastian shook his head, "It's kind of weird."

"Oh…" she said awkwardly, "Well I guess if you're one of _those _writers-."

"No, no!" Sebastian argued, laughing a bit at her accusation, "Not weird like _that_. Weird as in… strange, as in… out of this world, as in… magic."

"Magic?" she asked, squinting in confusion, "People write novels about magic all the time, what makes this any different."

Sebastian paused for a moment and sat back on his bed. Santana sat on the edge of the bed, folding the rest of his clothes given to him by the laundry maids.

"I feel like I can trust you," he said bluntly.

Santana raised her eyebrows and grinned, "Oh do you?"

"Yes I do," he affirmed, "Can I?"

Santana sucked in a breath and looked at Sebastian with a sincere smile, "Yes, Sebastian… You can trust me."

Sebastian smiled and sat up, "Good because this is going to get weird," he sighed, then took a moment to figure out how he was going to do this, "Have you ever been read one of those enchanted bedtime stories by someone who raised you… like… a story about mythical creatures."

She smiled and nodded, "Of course," she said happily, "Those got me to sleep every single night. I loved reading about dwarfs, magic fruits, talking trees, talking animals, and mermaids."

"Mermaids," Sebastian repeated, taking her hand in his, "Santana… could you ever believe in them? The mermaids."

"Yes," she said, "It seems crazy, but there used to be some of them many years ago. Blaine's grandfather discovered them, so I believe they still exist."

Sebastian nodded approvingly, picking up his journal and holding it in his hand. "Would you believe me if I told you… that I am one of them."

"Mer-people?" she asked, "Could I believe YOU are a merman?"

He nodded bashfully, looking down at his journal in case he just humiliated himself.

"Yes," she said quietly, and Sebastian was shocked.

"You would?" he said happily, "Because I am one. Rachel and I both."

Santana's eyes widened and she gasped, her face forming into a smile. "You and Rachel are… mer-people?"

He nodded.

"Cool," Santana said with a bright smile.

"You can't tell anyone," he said seriously, "That could be very dangerous, not just to Rachel and I, but to our people."

"I won't," she promised, "Why are you here?"

Sebastian looked around the room for a minute and leaned over so his face was inches away from Santana's.

"Rachel's in love," he said quietly, "With your prince."

"Rachel's in love with Blaine?" she whispered, "How?"

"Did your prince ever disappear for a long time for various days?" he asked.

"Yes…" she said, then she stared blankly into space, putting the pieces together in her mind, "You mean he went to go see her?"

Sebastian nodded.

"But wouldn't he recognize her?" she asked.

"The kings put a spell on Rachel's eyes," he said, gesturing towards his own eyes, "My Princess's eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue that the world has ever seen, but her fathers have turned them brown with a mind erasing spell. Blaine has forgotten."

Santana gasped, holding her hand to her heart, "Oh my… that's terrible."

"And they're proven soul mates," Sebastian said.

"But my prince is marrying Quinn to unite our kingdoms. The one we were at war with. If he doesn't marry her, war will start again."

"I wonder how Rachel's gonna take that."

Suddenly, there was the sound of shoes clicking against the ground viciously and a crying Rachel ran passed Sebastian's open door. They both exchanged a look for a moment.

"I guess that's how," he said, getting up from the bed and going to the room next door.

Santana nudged herself in front of him and went into her room first.

"Rachel?" Santana said sweetly, slowly walking in, Sebastian closing the door once he was inside as well.

"Rach," Seb sighed and quickly moved onto the bed with her.

Rachel was curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out. Sebastian placed a hand on her back and began rubbing gently.

"I'm so sorry," Santana said quietly, "This isn't going to be an easy mission to accomplish."

Rachel looked up at her with tear stained eyes and a look of confusion.

"I told her everything," Sebastian said, but interrupted her before she could protest, "It's best we have an allay on the inside, someone who can protect our secret. We can trust her."

"Look," Rachel sniffed, "Not that I don't want either of you here, I just want to be alone."

Seb gave a look to Santana and after an exchanged nod, they both left the room, closing the door quietly.

"We gotta do something," Seb said furiously, "She's broken down without him. She changed herself into a human for him."

"He was so much happier after he snuck away to see her," Santana said, biting her lip nervously.

"I know," Seb said, "You need to talk to the Prince and convince him to back out of the marriage. He needs to see that Rachel is the one for him."

"I'll try," she said cautiously, "but he's so dead set on helping his people by marrying Princess Fabray. It won't be easy."

"But for trying, I owe you my thanks," he said, patting her shoulder.

Santana blushed for a moment and then nodded, marching away.

Sebastian heard a small clink and saw something white on the hallway floor. He went to pick up, and just when he was about to call her back, he saw some writing on the inside of what looked like a seashell.

_My Dearest,_

_I wish I could see you. I wish I knew what you looked like. I wish I knew your name, but we agreed on keeping our names a secret, I know, I know. I just wish I knew who you were. Sometimes, I'll walk on the shore line, waiting for you, just waiting to see if you'll turn up someday, but every time I do it, it's like I'm stuck and I can't bring myself to accept that fact that we'll never be together. I want true love, dearest. I want somebody to love me. And I'd like that person to be you._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Love_

Sebastian stared at the note written on the back of the seashell and his eyes widened.

"My love is Santana," he gasped, "I've been writing to Santana."

And he was grateful.

* * *

Blaine was standing on the balcony of his chambers, looking out to see the waves crashing onto the shore over and over again, not moving, but only the wind moving the tiny pieces of hair that escaped from his hair gel.

"Blaine," Sam said, continuing his pacing around the empty space, "You said yourself that you and the Princess are not a good match. I suggest you find another member of the royal family of Westerville to be your wife."

"I already gave the Princess my word, Sam," Blaine protested.

"But what about Rachel-"

"What about her?" he asked sternly, "She's only visiting, then she'll be back in Canton before we know it and Princess and I will be married. End of discussion."

"I know, but did you ever consider that the princess may love someone else?" Sam asked, and after several moments of silence, he continued, "Think about it, wouldn't you like to marry someone you love and trust? Rather than someone who screeches a lot."

"Yes, Sam, I would," Blaine said angrily, "but we all can't be so lucky to do so."

Suddenly, the double doors burst open and in came an angry Santana, looking as if steam would rise out of her at any second.

She walked straight up to Blaine and yelled at the top of her lungs, " Lo que está mal con usted? Raquel es una buena chica! Ella es dulce y amable y hermosa, y ella te entiende como nadie lo hace! ¡Necio!"

Sam was shocked and a little bit scared, so he carefully took a step toward Santana who was standing still with fists at her sides.

"Santana," Sam said calmly, "In English please?"

"She said 'What is wrong with you? Rachel is a good girl. She's sweet and kind and beautiful and she understands you like no one else does, you fool,'" Blaine said shakily, "I'm sorry Santana, but you know my duty to my kingdom comes first."

"But Santana is right," Sam argued, "I saw the way she looked at you during dinner… she feels something for you. You can't fake that."

"Would you guys quit it about Rachel?" he asked, now getting more annoyed with their persistence.

Santana nodded and walked out of the room again. When she slammed the door, she fell right into Sebastian who wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him to make sure she didn't fall on her face.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and shoved him off of her. "How did it go with Rachel?" she asked.

"Well see, that's the problem… she's missing."

* * *

Rachel was done. She wasn't ready to face the world now that Blaine was gone, in another woman's arms. She lot her true love and there was nothing left for her. So the only thing Rachel could do now was give her to the sea and accept her punishment from her fathers. They would probably lock her up in a tower for the rest of her miserable life, but she didn't care. She had nothing to work for anymore. Nothing.

She stood on the beach by the water's edge, her breathing hitched when the water came closer and closer to her. She began to take her final step into the ocean.

"RACHEL!" a distant voice called after her.

Rachel turned around and saw Sebastian and Santana running after her, both sweating and out of breath.

"You can't stop me Seb!" Rachel yelled, "There's nothing left! He's getting married! My one true love is getting married! Now all I have to do is give myself to the sea and accept my punishment from my fathers."

"Rach, that's not the only answer," he argued.

"Yes it is!" she protested, "There's nothing left for me here! I can't win his love now!"

"Don't give up yet Rachel!" Santana called.

"I'm not dying," she scoffed, "I'm just done trying to break free. I'm just going to take the torture that my fathers give me and marry some pathetic loser that I don't even know, because my only chance at true love is GONE!"

Rachel began to take a few more steps towards the water and Sebastian frantically reached out towards her, shouting, "Rachel! No!"

But it was too late for him to stop her. Rachel's feet hit the water and she ran straight forwards as fast as she could into open water. Her head, soaking wet, bobbed along the surface, then she splashed angrily and disappeared into the water, her tail following after her. With the super fast speed underwater that Rachel was gifted with, she swam as fast as she could back to that little rock that rested on the rocky shores near Lima's beaches, and she got up on it again, crying tears of sorrow, but her siren escaped her lips as she continued to cry out in sadness and grief.

Somewhere in the palace of Lima, Prince Blaine stood on the balcony of his chambers, enchanted by the sound of that sweet voice that came from the sea. And then he smiled.


	10. Chapter 9: Festivals

**AN: Sorry it's been a while since I last updated. This one took a really long time to write because I just had a major case of writers block for about a week and a half, then I had no time at all to write this. But anyway, I got sick and so I decided to finish it! So here it is! There's more Sebtana in this one, since I got some positive reviews about that. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters**

* * *

After hours of talking Rachel through her sadness, she finally decided to return to shore before Blaine figured out she was even gone in the first place. Days and days went on from there, and Blaine continued to stay by Quinn's nagging side. Rachel became quite disgusted with her attitude towards him and wouldn't wish that kind of fate on her worst enemy. Several nights while she layed in bed, she had to wonder why he would love her instead of Rachel. It was bewildering. After weeks of being in Lima, Rachel woke up on the brightest morning of them all, skipping down into the dining hall in a soft green dress.

"Good morning your highness," Rachel's sang with her bell-like voice.

"Good morning duchess," Blaine smiled after taking a gulp from his goblet of water, "I hope you slept well."

"Oh, I did, thank you for asking," she smiled, taking a seat beside him at the table.

"Well that's good," he said, then looking over at the door, "Ah! Sebastian! Good morning!"

"Good morning your highness," Sebastian said smiling as he walked into the room, then walking towards Santana who was standing by the kitchen door, "Morning Santana."

"Good morning Sebastian," Santana said, trying very hard not to smile like a fool or blush like an idiot.

After a few moments of silence while Rachel, Sebastian and Blaine were eating their food, Blaine couldn't help but look at Rachel, the way she gracefully held her fork, and how her hands looked softer than the silkiest sheet in the entire kingdom. He couldn't believe he was admiring a girl just by the way she ate, but he knew there was something special about her all along. Blaine didn't see anything-romantic happening between the two of them because of his commitment to the kingdom, but he just liked watching her. There was just something about her appearance, her personality that just drew him in.

"Yes your highness?" Rachel asked when she caught his stare.

Blaine started for a moment and was suddenly nudged on the shoulder by Santana, and he coughed to make it seem like he was simply somewhere else in his mind.

"Oh! The… uh… it's going to be a beautiful day today," Blaine said casually, "I was wondering if you would accompany me on a tour of the kingdom. Surely a visit through the kingdom of Lima would be a wonderful learning experience for you."

"Yes!" Rachel said instantly, then realizing her excitement was probably a little bit too high for a day out as a friend with the prince, so she calmed her tone, "Of course… sounds wonderful."

"Excellent!" Blaine smiled, "Your friend, Sebastian, seems as though he likes our books, maybe Lord Sam could accompany him to our libraries."

Santana stiffened and bent down to the Prince's side.

"M-My prince… if I may?" she asked before continuing, "Lord Sam is with Princess Quinn this afternoon. They are going to get dresses from Westerville and bring them back to Lima."

"Oh… would you accompany him, then, Santana?" he asked.

"I would love to," she smiled, then gave Sebastian a small grin.

Sebastian nodded and continued to eat his food.

The very second breakfast was over; Rachel ran up to her room in excitement and Sebastian followed her. She fell onto the bed with a shriek and a smile while Sebastian leaned against the closed door, laughing with delight.

"You realize it's just one day, right?" he asked.

"I don't care!" she shouted, "This might be my one and only chance to be able to convince him to be with me instead of Quinn, then he'll leave her and love me forever!"

He continued to laugh as she moved her body in a spastic motion, her face turning red with joy and happiness filling her eyes completely. Sebastian sat on the side of the bed and tapped her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Rachel-."

"I have to figure out what I'm gonna wear," she gasped, jumping off of the bed and quickly going to directly to the wardrobe.

"Rachel! Before you do that," he halted, grabbing onto her arm.

Rachel looked over at him and patted his arm, "I'm sorry, did you want to say something?"

"Yes," he sighed, then sitting her down on the bed, "I've found the girl who's been writing to me."

"You did?" she asked, softly but sweetly, "Who is it? How did you know?"

"I found one of the notes on the sea shells, it was a reply to my last letter that I sent to her," he said excitedly, "and it fell out of Santana's basket, signed by her."

"Santana?" Rachel asked, "Well that's perfect! You two already seem to be so friendly with each other, this isn't much of a surprise to me."

"I'm going to spend the day with her in the library, and I'm going to learn all about the humans and all about her," he said happily, "Will you do me a favor, princess?"

"Anything."

"Will you ask her about it? For me, please? I need to know if she's the one before I make a fool out of myself."

"Of course I will! I'm not the only who deserves a chance at true love," she smiled before Sebastian took her into a warm embrace.

Rachel pulled out a soft long sleeved dress, the underneath part was a bright pink and the outer covering was a beautiful maroon color with strings that crossed elegantly across her chest. She must have re done her hair a million times before she was finally ready for her tour of the kingdom. She kissed Sebastian and Santana goodbye before going with Blaine into the carriage.

"We'll be out all day, Santana, you'll make sure Sebastian gets his dinner tonight?" Blaine asked as he made sure Rachel was comfortable in the carriage.

"Yes, my prince, our kitchen will have food ready for our guests," Santana replied, bowing her head.

"Very well then, goodbye!" he waved to them.

"Have a good day!" Rachel called.

The horse and carriage rode off from the palace gates and down the hill into the village.

"Now what?" Sebastian asked once the carriage was out of their sight.

"The Prince told me you wanted to look at our libraries," Santana said, "Would you like to do that?"

"I would love to," he smiled, "I have so much to learn about your people here. There's so much I can add to my book."

"Is this the same book that you showed me the other day?" she asked.

"Yes! It is! For years I've been trying to learn about humans, and now I have the perfect person to help me understand!" he cheered, then he stopped and took one of her hands in his, "Will you help me understand?"

Santana couldn't find the words to reply with, so she nodded and began walking up the stairs again.

Once they reached the palace doors, Santana opened them and Sebastian rushed inside the castle. "Where is it? The library?" he asked.

"On the second floor left corridor, there are 3 double doors painted in purple and gold with a feather pen insignia on it," she instructed.

"What's a feather pen?" he asked.

"I'm not going to answer any questions until we get to the library," she laughed softly.

"Then let's get there as fast as we can!" he said with a jump, running up the grand staircase.

Santana followed him, and he let her run ahead of them until they reached the library doors. Sebastian felt the patterns and texture on the door before she giggled and opened the doors for him. The expression that he made once he saw the roaring fireplace in the middle of dozens of bookshelves was the equivalent of a man who had seen sunlight after a monsoon.

For hours they went through several books. Sebastian wrote every last detail he could find in his notebook. He was very peculiar to her. He was tall and handsome and looked respectable enough, yet he had the spirit and willingness to learn as a child. The sight of a leather bound book would make him jump and smile as if he was given the key to the kingdom. It fascinated her. He was different and different was good. It was good to have someone around who wasn't as serious and strong headed. The airheads in this kingdom have only three desires, and that is the hunt, kill and rule. Fathers of the household were always thick headed and only had the brawn, never the brains or the happiness for that matter. Nobody was as happy as Sebastian was. Santana had never seen someone so happy, and she had been watching festivals for weeks. His giddy ways warmed her heart, and she couldn't help but actually help him learn so he could keep that happy expression on his face.

"So you use these to write?" he asked, holding a feather pen in his hand, awkwardly trying to write with it in his notebook.

"Yes, but you hold it with your center finger beneath your index finger, and your thumb pushing against it on the other side," she corrected, adjusting his fingers on the pen.

The warmth of her skin on Sebastian's kind of dazed him. Her skin was tan and soft with the obvious marks of hard work. She looked tired, as if she needed a release from something.

"A-and then…?" he stuttered, returning from his daze.

"You dip it in the black ink here," she said, "with the sharp end of the feather."

He reached over and dipped the tip of the feather into the black container, revealing a dripping black and thick liquid.

"Now write something," she coaxed him with a smile.

Sebastian brought the black covered tip to the page on his notebook and wrote "Santana" in gorgeous handwriting. When he showed it to her, she couldn't hide the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

"Wow!" he gasped, looking at his own doings, "That's fascinating! Absolutely wonderful!"

He jumped up and began dancing around, then immediately returning to the books, looking for more and more information. "There must be more, there has to be more!"

Santana laughed and walked slowly to his side, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Funny, nobody here as this kind of ambition," she said softly, "You are completely enhanced with the idea of learning something new, that it excites you and makes you strive to know more, and you smile like a toddler while doing it. Your enthusiasm is new to us. Nobody really jumps up and down or dances around here like that."

"Never?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Only the villagers do," she replied, "but rarely so. None of us could celebrate like that over looking at a simple book. Many of us could use the same light that you have."

"Where I come from, with the water all around you, it's really easy to feel like your moving all the time," he said, picking up another book, "There really is no "gravity" as you say, so there's nothing holding you down, there's just nothing but miles and miles of space around you and above your head that you can use to move in. The possibilities of freedom are endless. Plus, everyone makes their own instruments out of things we find in our nature. We also communicate with the sea creatures. I know a hammerhead shark named Leo who likes to make music in the coral tubes."

"A shark?" she asked, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"The sharks aren't dangerous at all," he said, sitting back down at the desk and looking off into the empty air as if to imagine them all there, "Most of them are just scared of things they don't know. Rachel's dads hired them as guards for the castle, so their sharp senses and brawn can turn away any enemy. Leo just wants to make music. He's the only shark who does."

"Tell me more about Columbus," she said, sitting down at the chair directly in front of him.

"Well… there's a little place where Rachel and I used to go to all the time before we came here. It's called the Kelp Fields. It takes up a lot of space and it's closest to the surface than anything else in the entire kingdom. The kelp rests on hundreds of hills and next to that is the coral reef where the fish families live. They're all no bigger than these books. Sometimes Rachel goes there to sing to them, and it's fun just to hold them in your arms like children. But the guppies are the most rambunctious, because they always play tricks on us. Once they got Rachel's sister's head stuck in a conch shell. Another time, they led her brother straight into a cave of electric eels."

"Didn't that hurt him?"

"Oh, he's fine now… but his hair was never really the same after that."

"I wish I could see it. It sounds beautiful."

"Maybe you can someday," he smiled, "but not today."

"Why not? Then soon! Take me to the place where everything is happier," she begged.

"I can't," he sighed, "Rachel is still missing in the kingdom. If I go there with you the guards or somebody might find me and ask me where Rachel is, and I can't tell lies, so if they find me, they find her."

"Oh… I understand," she nodded.

"We'll have to wait until Rachel works this all out with her dads."

"Do you thinks she ever will?"

"I know she will. Rachel has a sharp mind and a fierce personality. She'll find a way to get what she wants. Trust me."

"You are a very loyal friend," she smiled.

"So I've been told."

Santana reached her hand over Sebastian's, and for a moment, they each stared into each others eyes, but Santana remained where she was, not leaning forward or walking away, just touching hands and looking at each other. It was comfortable, in some kind of peculiar way.

"I like being around you, Santana," he confessed.

Santana nodded and smiled back at him, "Me too."

* * *

The brightly colored horse and carriage left the big shiny gates of the palace and went down the long winding hill before Blaine and Rachel would reach the village square. The road was bumpy from the roots and stray stones, and it shocked Rachel when they hit a root and the carriage jumped.

"Are you all right?" Blaine asked, still keeping his eyes on the road, "I'm sorry about the bumpy journey, we should be down at the shore in no time."

"The shore?" Rachel asked worriedly, "Your highness… I came here from Canton by boat… forgive me, but I don't have the desire to see the sea quite yet."

"Oh! My apologies, Madame. I could always take you down to the village square, then."

"Would you?" she asked excitedly, clinging onto the front of the carriage, "There are so many festivals here and I got to see one, but that was my first day here, and now I get to fully appreciate them."

"They are very fun to watch," Blaine smiled, "Just being in the atmosphere gives one a change of heart."

The road got smoother as they got closer and closer to the cobblestone path of the villages. The horses slowed down as they reached the small houses of light brown shade with roofs of dark brown wood. All of the houses had red and gold flags everywhere, and lanterns were hung in between each house. Children were playing with toys and throwing streamers and confetti. There was group of musicians playing the flute, the lute and the harpsichord as well as some drums while people in the middle danced with smiles on their faces. Some of them were partnered up and were dancing around each other. As soon as the carriage pulled up to the wide village square, the music had stopped and everyone who was there began to cheer in honor of their ruler.

"My people of Lima!" Blaine called, "I have brought you a visitor! Lady Rachel Berry of the royal court in Canton!"

Blaine reached down for Rachel's hand and stood her up in the carriage. Rachel looked down at the people cheering for her. They were so happy to see her, and yet they didn't know her. Everyone was so welcoming, she felt as though she was back at home, almost. As if she was standing by her siblings side, looking down at her people.

Blaine took her down to the stone street to greet all of the people who were in town that day. The people greeted her with words such as "Bless you sweet lady" and "Dear Lady, an honor it is." After greeting several of the elderly ladies sitting in the shade on the benches, a plastic ball hit up against Rachel's foot and she turned to see 3 giggling children, all trying to hide behind each other.

Rachel tapped Blaine on the shoulder, and leaned closer to him. "I don't see these children's parents anywhere," she said quietly.

"This is the orphanage area," he said, directing her attention to the building in beside them, "These women here are in charge of the children here, and those three are some of them."

Rachel walked closer to the children, bending down and squatting beside them.

"What are your names, dear ones?" she asked.

"My name is Gabriel," one of the boys said.

"My name is Adam," the other proud boy said.

The third smaller boy cowered behind Adam, only his little brown eyes showing from over his shoulder.

"And who are you, little one?" she asked softly, reaching for his hand.

"R-Riley," he muttered.

Rachel sighed with a soft smile on her face. Riley was the name of her little brother, the youngest and the most shy. She imagined him hiding behind the coral tubes after Regina yelled at him for playing with her lipstick.

"Hello Riley," Rachel said quietly, "You don't have to be afraid. I'm not angry at you."

"Y-You aren't?" he asked.

She shook her head and the little boy came out from behind the taller boy.

"You three are very lucky," she said, "Your parents may no longer be with you, but you are very fortunate to have these elderly women taking care of you. Now I want you to make me a promise, can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Lady Rachel," they all said together.

"Promise me that you'll behave like princes," she said, "You have to act nicely, take care of the people you love, and take care of yourself most of all. You should protect your friends, the way a prince would, you should act the way you think a good prince should, and you should love people, like a good prince should. Can you do that?"

"We promise!" they all cheered.

"Good, and maybe one day, you too will be a prince," she said happily, clapping her hands together.

The three boys cheered and hugged her before they waved goodbye and ran off towards the elderly women, telling them everything about what Rachel had told them.

Blaine came by her side again and held out his arm for her. "You handled that well," he admired.

Rachel rested her hand lightly on his arm and they continued to walk, "I always try to inspire the little princes and princesses. They deserve to have faith in themselves as children should."

"You were lovely," he said, smiling over at her.

"Thank you, your highness," she said with a blush.

"Enough with formality… to you, I am simply Blaine."

Before Rachel could respond, the music began to play again and Rachel's eyes widened in delight at the musicians and the dancer.

"Oh! This music is wonderful!" she cried, "Blaine… won't you dance with me?"

"Rachel… this is the commoner's festival," he insisted, "its no place for people of the royal court like us to be dancing along with the commoners."

"Excuse me, Blaine, but I thought you were looser than that," Rachel said, raising her eyebrow.

"Looser?" he scoffed, "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"I think a man of your respect and kind heart would not bother with silly things that have to do with the difference of commoners and royalty."

"But I have a reputation to uphold. I'm a figure for these people."

Rachel stepped closer to him, their bodies just barely touching by an inch.

"You know what I think?" she asked.

"What?"

"I think that it doesn't matter where you are or who you are. I think we are all people who have come to celebrate. We are all in the same kingdom, are we not? So why can't we dance with the people. Aren't you a part of the people too? Are you not a member of the kingdom of Lima? If you want your people to respect you more as king, then you'll make them feel as though there are no differences between the two of you. If you are one of the people, you are a much more trusted leader."

"You bring light to things that people never bother dealing with," Blaine replied with a small smile.

"Well someone has to. Otherwise, we end up with a bunch of unsolved problems, and nobody wants that."

Rachel snaked her hand down to his and grabbed it, leading him down to the center of the square where people were dancing around a small fountain. The dancing was light and happy, everyone was jumping around while rotating around the fountain, the men turning their ladies every once in a while.

Blaine felt his eyes opened as the other villagers joined in beside him, laughing next to him. They were all the same people. These people were united and he had missed all of this all of his life because of what the generations before had told him. Now here was Rachel, twirling and laughing and smiling in front of him, with her hands in his. She was beautiful. Blaine couldn't help but think that she reminded him of someone, but he also didn't want to think about that, because he just wanted to watch her smile. The other couples started to just spin around in circles with each other, so Blaine and Rachel did the same thing. While the world around him was blurry, all he really saw was Rachel, her beautiful hair flowing and her smile, with perfect eyes to match. He quickly snapped out of it and continued to dance with the full consciousness of what was going on. This festival was because the war was over. The war was over because Blaine was getting married to a girl who wasn't Rachel. That was that.

* * *

Rachel and Blaine were sitting in a boat across from each other. Blaine was rowing the boat and Rachel was sitting on her knees to look ahead of them and stared at her reflection in the water, being 100% careful not to touch it. The place that they were in was a greenish blue color, as the sun was already beginning to hide behind the horizon line. There were trees all around them and little fireflies that lied in the leaves of them. The only sound that were there was the sound of the cricket. The narrow river path then lead to open water, revealing a small island with only one tree that covered most of it.

"Blaine, where are we?" she asked, looking over her left shoulder at him.

"They call it the Enchanted Lagoon for a reason," he said.

The boat came closer and closer to the island, when all she saw was a curtain of leaves. She opened them as Blaine rowed them through. There was a small dock already made there. Blaine assisted Rachel out of the boat and she looked at all of the butterflies that rested inside the tree.

"What is this?" she asked.

"My father used to take me here when I was younger, and when he died, my brother continued to take me," he said, "It's magic. This was the first source of magic that I had ever seen in my entire life."

"How is it magic?" she asked.

Blaine took her hand and led her to the land's end near the water, where the horizon line was clear. The sun crept downward until it was no longer visible, and he turned her around.

"Now look carefully," he said.

The butterflies in the tree all started to glow in different colors and they started to fly around each other, even the tree leaves were glowing a bright green color.

"Oh Blaine! It's beautiful!" Rachel gasped.

"I'm glad you like it," he said quietly.

The two of them sat down on the ground, looking up at the leaves and the pink, blue and purple colored butterflies that flew over their heads. They talked about their childhoods and their parents and what their royal duties were and the great responsibility that they're given.

"Sometimes I wish I could marry for love," she sighed, "but that's not possible for people like us, is it?"

"I always assumed that when you marry someone you don't know, you could learn to love them," Blaine said.

"Is that why you're marrying Princess Quinn?" she asked.

Blaine took a deep breath and nodded. "I hope that one day she'll grow on me," he said.

"Why would you?" she asked, "She's awful. No offense to her highness, but I've seen how she is around you. She acts like she's being held against her will and is going to make it as perfect as possible."

"She does have to leave her home," he added, "Maybe that has to do with it."

"Then why are you marrying her?" she asked.

"For the good of my kingdom," he argued, "Yes, I would love to marry for love, but I know where my place is."

"But everyone deserves to be happy and find true love," she spat back, "My grandmother used to say that if you're going to marry, marry for love above all. Never wed for fame or fortune or politics. If you wed unhappy, that leads to an unhappy life and for that leaves an unhappy heart."

"Your grandmother married for love?" he asked.

"No… she loved another man, but she was forced to marry another," she said sadly, "and I've never seen my grandmother truly smile. I've seen her grimace and smirk and grin, but I've never seen a full smile on her face. That's because the man she loves is never coming back."

"How sad."

"Which is why I want everyone to be happy, especially you. I want you to find a girl you love and marry her and have children with her and grow old with her and live happily ever after with her, even if happy endings don't exist, at least it can seem like one when you're with a girl you truly love."

"I want those things for you too," Blaine said absent-mindedly. Rachel turned her head to face him, propping herself up on her shoulder. "Are there any men for you in Canton, Rachel?"

Rachel took a deep breath and shook her head. "No. There aren't very good respectable men in Canton. That's why I decided to look somewhere else. But there has always been one person who caught my eye quite some time ago. It's actually the whole reason I stayed here in Lima in the first place."

Blaine looked at Rachel with confused eyes for a moment, and then he realized what she had just said. It all became clear to him then. He was the one Rachel wanted. It was why she was so strict about arranged marriages and waiting for love, because she loves him. When Blaine thought about it for a minute, he loved her too. He remembered playing the piano on her first night, and watching her play every night in the castle. He remembered watching her dance in the streets, and how she talked to those little children. Blaine was actually in love and he had no idea the entire time.

"He's glad you did," he whispered.

He brought his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to hers as Rachel's aching heart was finally sewed back together.


	11. Chapter 10: Distressed

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

* * *

The kings were under great stress, grieving from losing their daughter, but angry if she was alive this whole time and refused to return. Columbus remained slightly happy, but the kings hearts were darkened and they never left their throne room for nearly a month. Rachel's brothers and sisters were worried most of all, especially Rebecca. She felt as though Rachel's disappearance was her fault, that her arranged marriage to Carter was tearing her apart, but Rayna and Regina knew that Rebecca's marriage wasn't the problem. Ray saw that look on Rachel's face. He knew that something was wrong, he knew that something was bothering Rachel, something had made her so happy that she sang everywhere she went, but when their fathers took it away from her, it made her runaway. From that moment on, Ray had to help his dads find his sister. He may not have proven it to her much, but Ray loved his family, and when one is gone, it hurts.

Ray came swimming as fast as he could into the king's throne room, both Hiram and Leroy pacing as they usually did.

"Father! Papa!" Ray called.

The kings rose their heads, almost in excitement, hoping that he would bring news that he found Rachel.

"I just spoke with the guards," he said, then hanging his head low, "there is no sign of her. The families in the coral reef said they saw her the day she disappeared, but that's all I could find."

Hiram stiffened and sat back down in his throne, sinking his head into his hands in utter frustration and remorse. Leroy looked at his king with concern for a minute, and then turned back to Ray.

"We appreciate your effort to find your sister, Ray," he said, patting his shoulder, "Now, go to bed, it's getting late, my son."

Ray nodded and hugged Leroy tightly, "Goodnight Papa," he said quietly, and then swam away.

Once Leroy saw that Ray was out of sight, he went up to his throne beside Hiram and placed his hand overtop of his.

"Hiram," he said softly, "We'll find her…"

"It's been a month, Leroy," Hiram argued, "At this point, something terrible must have already happened to her."

"We both know how frustrated Rachel was here," Leroy said reassuringly, "Maybe she just needed a break, sometime to herself. When she's ready, she'll come home again."

"Somehow, I can't help but feel that her leaving is all my fault…"

"It's not… she just wants what she can't have, that's all. Once she returns home, we'll help her realize that it's here where she belongs."

"For the kingdom's sake, I hope so," Hiram said, "everyone was so much happier when Rachel was here to sing to the villagers."

"And to help the little ones," Leroy smiled, "but she'll be back. She wouldn't abandon her kingdom forever. She'll find her way back."

The guards came into the throne room, both of them with strict, yet worried, expressions on their faces.

"Your majesties," the first one said in his bold voice, "Emma, the enchantress, wishes to be in your presence."

"She says it's about the princess," the other one said.

Leroy and Hiram both looked up at them with brightness in their eyes. Finally, someone knew something about Rachel.

"Well send her in!" Leroy demanded, "Quickly!"

The guards nodded and turned away, Emma coming in soon after them.

"Your majesties, I have something to tell you, it's about Rachel," she said, almost ashamed of herself.

"Out with it Emma," Hiram said urgently, getting out of his throne and moving down to where she stood, "What happened to Rachel?"

"She came to my lair," she began, the fear growing in her voice as she spoke, "and she was in tears. She asked me to help her find a way to see that prince again… so I changed her and Sebastian into humans. Rachel now roams with two legs as a human above shore… in the kingdom of Lima, where she seeks to win the heart of their Prince, Blaine Anderson."

"SHE'S A HUMAN!?" Hiram yelled, throwing his staff to the ground in a fit of rage.

"She went against our orders and changed into one of them?" Leroy asked, still angry, but calmer than Hiram ever was.

Emma nodded, "I am sorry your majesties. I was only trying to help the young princess."

"Never mind what you did," Hiram said sternly, "What happens now is that Leroy and I must go and get her and bring her home."

Hiram and Leroy looked at each other for a moment and stormed passed Emma angrily. Emma was afraid of what was going to happen next, because she wanted to help the young princess, but now the kingdom was suffering from her absence, but for that particular moment, Emma felt very guilty. She looked over at the small throne next to the two larger thrones, and Shelby entered in, sitting down and sighing sadly to herself.

"How long have your heard, my queen?" Emma asked.

"Long enough," she said, shaking her head.

"Might I ask what's bothering you, your grace?" she asked, sitting at the foot of her throne.

Shelby looked down at Emma and scoffed, "Those two… my son and Hiram are so convinced that humans are barbarians searching for blood and information. But not all of them are barbarians! If only they knew about the previous king, William. He was my dearest friend… he was kind, and gentle, and sweet. He never wanted to hurt me, ever. He even made sure that the kingdom was never found all of those years… I loved him… but it was too late. The real barbarians made the rest of the humans look like monsters, even if they weren't, and William is gone now. But I don't blame you for what you have done, Emma. Rachel is the only hope that we have of creating peace between the humans and the mermaids; to rewrite history from nearly 20 years ago. Besides, I've seen the boy. The boy is just as wonderful as his grandfather, and Rachel has chosen to love him… the two of them together can accomplish so many great things, I just know it."

* * *

The night sky was beautiful in Lima. It was even more stunning against the castle lights and decorations that were made for the Full Moon Ball. The music was loud enough to be heard from all levels of the castle, and guests were all congregating outside on the palace steps, waiting to be escorted inside.

"Wow…" Rachel gasped, looking down from her balcony, "There are so many people here…"

"All royals," Santana said, "Come inside, Rachel. You don't want all of the royal court of Lima and Westerville to see you in your undergarments."

Rachel giggled and walked back inside, happily sitting herself on the chair in front of the mirror. Santana stood directly behind her, looking a bit concerned at her happy expression.

"What has gotten you so happy, my lady?" she asked,

"Well… you know how Blaine took me to the festivals a few nights ago?" she explained, "He took me to this enchanted island with glowing butterflies and trees-."

"He did?" she asked, widening her eyes, "He's never taken anyone to that island since his father died. His brother tried once, but he told me it just didn't feel right. You must mean something special to him if he took you there."

"I figured, because after we talked for hours and hours… he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Santana cheered, "My lady, that's wonderful!"

"It was the most perfect day of my entire life," Rachel sighed.

Santana smiled softly at her, bringing her hair back behind her so she could take a brush and slowly begin to brush through it, then she added small little seashells from the bowl on the dresser and placed them near her forehead to keep the hair out of her face.

"These shells are beautiful, Santana," Rachel said, touching one of them lightly as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Thank you," she said softly, "I find a lot of my own seashells."

Rachel smiled, and just in that moment, she remembered what Sebastian had asked her to do. She was supposed to ask Santana about the messages to see if it really is Sebastian she's writing to. How could Rachel not do this small favor for him after all he's done for her? She decided to do it now or she would betray a great friendship.

"How was your day while Blaine and I were out?" Rachel asked, "As I recall, you and Sebastian went to the library."

"We did," Santana said, and then grinned to herself.

"What was that grin across your face?" Rachel asked, "Did something happen?"

Santana sighed and bit her lip, not wanting to tell her in the first place. But there was no one who was nice enough to confide in who was a girl. Blaine would never quite understand, but Rachel knew Sebastian, so she would understand perfectly. "Nothing actually happened… but he's sweet. He's so curious and eager to learn. He gets happy over such little things. Sebastian makes me feel like a free spirit when I'm around him."

"He does to all," Rachel nodded, "Except I feel like a child when I'm with him. He's kind of like my conscience. Whenever I want to do something stupid, like escape the palace, he would always be my voice of reason, but this time… he came with me-."

"Because he wanted to learn about humans," Santana finished, proud of her knowledge that she knew him so well.

"Well… he wanted to know about humans because he had been receiving messages from one," Rachel said, turning around in her chair to face her, "He actually fell in love with her even though he never saw her face. Her messages made him want to meet her, so he learned more about humans so he could somehow be with her when he got the chance to meet her."

"That's so sweet," Santana breathed out. Sure it was a sweet sentiment, but there was a chance that the girl wasn't even her, so she had to brace herself for the heartbreak that Sebastian's dream girl wasn't her. "Has he found her yet?"

"He thinks he has," Rachel answered, "but… Santana? Have you been receiving messages from seashells?"

Santana's eyes widened. She nodded and quickly went to the door where she dropped her basket and picked up one of the seashells that was inside it. Santana handed it to Rachel with hopeful eyes. "Like this?"

Rachel took the shell from her and carefully read the message as she remembered what Sebastian's message was the last time he sent out a shell. Then she smiled brightly and handed it back to her. "Yes…"

"Oh my… so all of this time… it's been Sebastian I've been writing to?"

"Yes…"

Santana smiled to herself for lack of the ability to jump in the air and fall onto the bed while giggling like a lovesick fool. One of the problems with being a maidservant is that there is such a lack of freedom of expression. If she wanted to express her happiness, all she could do was smile softly to herself. However, when she was with Sebastian, freedom was one thing that she could actually have. He was comfortable around her as she was with him, so she didn't care what she did when he was around. They were both commoners after all. Now if only Sebastian would stay in Lima forever, or if he would take her to Columbus, then everything would be perfect.

There was a knock on the door that startled both girls.

Santana opened the door slightly too look out into the dark hallway.

"Is it a crime to want to meet the Lady everyone has been talking about?" Kurt asked.

Santana smiled brightly and opened the door wide open for him, "Of course not, Kurt. You actually might be able to help us with whatever is in that bag you're carrying."

Kurt walked in and saw Rachel sitting at the dresser.

"Rachel, this is Kurt, he works in the dress store in the village. He's responsible for many of the clothes you see the prince wearing."

Rachel stood up and walked towards him with a smile, holding out her hand, "It's nice to meet you Kurt, my name is-."

"Rachel," Kurt said sincerely, shaking the girl's hand, "The village has not stopped talking about you since you came. You are already so loved here."

"Thank you, how sweet of you," Rachel said with a blush.

"I've come with a gift for you," Kurt said, bowing and holding out in front of him a bag that looked like what was holding a dress, "It's my best work, I'd say. I've been working on it for weeks and no one but myself has ever touched it. I've been saving it for a true gem of the royal court, preferably someone who could make the prince smile the way you did in the village."

Rachel looked down at the bag and looked up at Kurt, "You saw us dancing?"

"We all knew Princess Quinn was all wrong for him," Kurt said, nodding to Santana, "It's best that you wear this and surprise him. There's no way he could resist you after this night. He'll be yours for sure, and we can finally see our prince happy again."

Rachel smiled and hugged Kurt tightly. "I've just met you and I see you are already a caring and compassionate human being… thank you, Kurt."

Santana tapped both of their shoulders urgently, "I hate to interrupt, but the guests are arriving, my lady. Let's have you down there as soon as possible. We don't want any other girls snatching up your prince before you even get the chance to."

"Not so fast Santana," Kurt said, holding out his hand.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I've heard the palace gossip," he said raising his eyebrow, "Don't think I didn't bring something for you too so you may find yourself a suitor as well."

The grand ballroom stretched around to make a big circle. At the top of the staircase was a white marble balcony that overlooked the ballroom where all of the elderly members of the royal court chatted before going down to the dance floor. The staircase where guests came into was on the side of the circle shaped room and they descended into the semi middle of the circle. On the edges of the ballroom were the food and beverages offered. The windows were on all sides of the room, with small gaps for the walls. Outside the windows you could either see the forest that was behind the castle, or down the hill where the village and ocean were. The balcony lead outside, straight to the ocean view. The light that was given there were just a few small lanterns with the kingdom colors and symbols on it, similar to the ones in the village.

Music was playing that sounded just like the music in the village square from the festivals. While it was peculiar to some guests, everyone eventually began to enjoy it and danced with smiles and laughter in their faces until they were too tired to dance anymore.

Santana was waiting anxiously by the servant's door, tapping her heeled shoes against the marble floors, hoping nobody would think that a servant wearing an orange ball gown would be absurd. The top of it had no sleeves, leaving her shoulders bare, but the straps that clung to her shoulders were orange and sparkling like sun. The pattern faded down until only few single sparkles lead down to the poof of the dress from her waist to the floor, with orange light fabrics and a misty looking fabric overtop of it to give it a sleek look. Sebastian came down the staircase, people applauding as he descended a blue suit with gold shoulder pads with the frills at the end which shook as he walked, also he wore tan pants. Once he got down to the ballroom floor, he immediately spotted Santana, who held her head down and smiled bashfully as she saw him walk straight to her.

"I've never seen you so dressed up," he said, extending an arm to her.

"That's because I'm a maidservant," she said softly, taking his hand.

"You look like a princess," Sebastian protested, then kissing her hand, "Might I ask if you have a dance partner for this evening."

"Sort of… I mean, I had someone in mind," Santana said shyly, "Someone who is willing to take me away from the bonds that I have. Surely you must understand me in some way. Oh how I wish to know you better, to be able to see you and-."

"truly understand you. I just want to know more about you, my dearest," Sebastian walked close to her and placed his hand on her cheek, "That's my letter… is it truly you?"

She nodded, looking slowly up at him and into his eyes. "As it turns out… we've been looking for each other all along."

He took her into his arms, wrapping them around her waist and pressing his forehead against hers, just to really feel the presence of the girl of his dreams. She smiled at him, laughing a little at how curious this all turned out. This was practically both their dreams coming true.

"We should dance, don't you think?" Santana asked.

"We should…" he agreed, "but first…"

Sebastian was only inches away from her lips, so he kissed them, lightly and gently at first to give her permission to accept the kiss. She brought her hands to his shoulders, only kissing him as much as society would allow, as they were both in the public eye. She broke the kiss and found his other hand, bringing it to a closed dance partner position and the two of them started to dance with the other couple on the main floor.

Blaine was there, wearing a suit similar to Sebastian's, except his was red and he was wearing white gloves and black pants with his hair slicked back with gel. He was sitting at his throne beside Quinn as they watched the other couples dance.

"One dance, Quinn, for me please," Blaine begged, only tilting his head to address her.

"If I dance like a scullery maid, I think my feet will suffer more," Quinn argued.

"These aren't dances for scullery maids," Blaine scoffed, "These are dances from the kingdom. My people!"

"Well changes will be made," Quinn spat, "and soon your people will be our people. Isn't that what we're celebrating in the first place?"

"Actually Princess, this ball is supposed to be about us, our engagement specifically, so we should be dancing and be the center of attention out there! It'll be fun."

"Blaine, it's not respectable for us, the guests of honor, to be put down there with the lesser people."

"But we're all people… we're all the same, right? That's how they'll trust us."

"What nonsense are you talking about now?" Quinn said in disgust.

She got up from her throne and marched to the other end of the ballroom, taking a plate of food and leaning against the wall in anger.

Sam came behind Blaine and looked in Quinn's direction, "Is she okay?"

"I suppose not…" he responded, "Could you-."

"I'll make sure she's okay," Sam answered, tapping his shoulder.

"Thank you!"

As he watched Sam make his way around the dancers, he threw his head in his hands in frustration. What he could really use right now was a cold drink, or just something to take his mind off his forced future with this monster of a girl. Suddenly, the music stopped playing and everyone gasped as they look at the top of the staircase, all "ooh"ing and "ah"ing at what was before them. Most of the elder women sounded appalled at whatever they were looking at, while most of the young women were making small happy noises.

Blaine looked up from his throne and saw Rachel standing at the top of the staircase, looking directly in front of her while everyone stared. Rachel's hair was magnificently put into curls with seashells in her hair to compliment her brown eyes. The dress she was wearing was the most beautiful thing that Blaine had ever seen. He stood up and quickly moved to the bottom of the staircase and saw the dress in full view. It was a greenish-blue, like the color of the sea, the straps made a thin V to her chest and small buttons connected the sleek fabric to her waist. From the waist down was a large poof with a sparkly clear fabric overtop of the layers of green fabric to give it that shiny and sparkly look.

"Beautiful," he whispered to himself.

Rachel looked down at him and smiled as she slowly walked down the staircase, trying not to fall with her silver dancing heels on and her heart racing as everyone, including Blaine, watched her. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, Blaine held out his hand for her and she took it.

"You look stunning," he said quietly to her.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she whispered back, "We're wearing the same clothes maker after all."

"Kurt did this?" he asked.

"Yes… he made Santana's as well," she nodded.

"I didn't see Santana's," he said, "I only saw you."

Rachel pressed her lips together and blushed, yet she held onto his hand with a tighter grip, as if she would never let go in a million years.

"Resume the music!" Blaine called to the orchestra.

Once the music started up again, Rachel gasped at the familiar tune.

"Won't you dance with me?" Blaine asked.

"You shouldn't have to ask," she smiled.

He brought her closer in his arms, then brought the two of them to the dance floor. The other partners, including Santana and Sebastian, were smiling at each other and laughing as they admired the atmosphere and the music, focusing on their steps, but Blaine and Rachel just smiled softly at each other, as if nothing else existed in the world, just like they did in the village square the other day.

Rachel broke her gaze from Blaine and looked around her, realizing that all of this was actually happening. Blaine was dancing with her at a gorgeous ball with music that they danced to first when they danced for the first time. Nothing made her happier in this entire world. At least she was happy until she saw Quinn standing beside the window, looking angrily at her.

"The princess is here?" she asked, looking back at Blaine.

"Of course," he said, "She's a guest in the palace, and it's only fitting to have her come."

"But she looks angry with me, why?" she asked.

"I-I honestly don't know," he hesitated. Telling Rachel the truth about the reason of this ball would be the end of Rachel's heart, he knew it. He would never want to make her sad.

"Blaine…" Rachel said softly, letting him go and standing in front of him, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing, just dance with me, please," he begged, touching his hands to her waist.

"No. Not until you tell me," she demanded.

Blaine sighed and bit his lip to figure out how to tell her in the first place. Either way, he knew she was going to be angry, so he had to do it quick and find a way to make her feel better immediately.

"This ball… is to celebrate the engagement of Quinn and I," he said.

Rachel's mouth fell open, and the tears instantly began to grow in her eyes. Here she was, dancing with the love of her life, thinking he was going to chose her to be with him forever, when all this time he was just pulling her along like a lovesick puppy. He kissed her at the island, he told her he only saw her only to be told minutes later that the ball they are attending is for his wedding to another woman. Rachel ran out to the balcony.

She slammed the window door from the ballroom to the balcony and practically threw herself to the edge, letting her tears fall from her face as her heart broke into two pieces and her body turned inside out. She looked at the ocean view from the balcony.

"Was it worth it!?" she screamed, "Did you do all of this for nothing, then, Emma!? I tired grandmother! I tried my hardest and I did everything I could! Tell me! What do I do now!? Tell me! Because I don't know! Are you happy father? Are you happy Papa? You were right! He doesn't truly love me… he just doesn't… and now I know for sure."

The glass doors opened and Rachel turned around, wiping her eyes before she came into the view of the light. "Get out of here, Blaine!" she demanded, "I don't want to see you."

"Rachel, please-."

"No! You don't understand!" she hollered, "You don't get how much I've sacrificed to try and be with you! You don't understand how much I love and care about you! You are obviously so blind that you can't see that love is waiting right here for you and all Quinn is doing here is being a pawn. That's not fair to her or to me! You made me believe you loved me back and that was the one thing that I've ever wanted in the last 2 months! I wanted to find you and I wanted to get to know you for the real you and I saw that… I saw you and I know you and I see you. How could you do this to me!? How could you let me go all of these days since we kissed making me believe that you love me…"

"I do love you," he argued, "Rachel, I love you! I love everything about you! I love your spirit and your courage, I love how you look after everyone and protect their hearts. I love how you make sure you're happy before you think of anything else, and I love your devotion and your heart. I love you for all of that… but my country comes first…"

"Enough with what your country wants!" she yelled, "What is it that you want!? Who do you want? There are other ways to bring peace than a marriage. You'd give up all of this love between us just to save your country? Sure, you're country would be happy, but you wouldn't. Have you even examined all the ways that your countries can unite? Have you not considered that at all? Because if you haven't, then you are a thick headed man, Blaine Anderson-."

Blaine ran to her and didn't even bother listening to what she had to say next, he didn't want her to convince herself that he wasn't right for her. He wanted her to stay, and he wanted to find some way to get rid of Quinn and be with her forever and he wanted to show her that. He brought his hands to her waist and kissed her deeply and passionately, bringing his other hand to her hair and molding her lips with his. Rachel's hands moved up to his neck, holding her closer to him and never wanting to let him go. It's amazing how much a kiss can prove to one person.

Rachel pulled away, her eyes still slightly closed. She knew what he meant now. He would try if he could. He would try and be with Rachel if he could, and if he could get rid of Quinn and still keep the peace, he would.

"I love you, Rachel," he whispered.

Rachel opened her eyes and leaned forward to kiss him again, this time much more softly and gentler.

Before anything else could happen, the balcony doors slammed open and Blaine and Rachel turned to face the entrance, both with shocked expressions on their faces, with Blaine holding Rachel by her waist and Rachel's hands on his shoulders to hold herself closer to him. They were both eased when they realized that Sebastian was standing there, but Rachel quickly saw his expression and looked worriedly at him.

"Rachel…" Sebastian said worriedly, "Look to the sea."

Rachel looked quickly to the ocean, still holding onto Blaine while he watched her. The waves were fierce and strong and loud. The sea was vigorous with anger and frustration. She knew what this meant. Only two people can control the power of the wind and tide, and those are always the kings of the mer people who hold the staffs to control all of the ocean.

"They know…" Rachel gasped.

Santana came up from behind Sebastian, with the same distressed look as Rachel.

"You have to get out of here, Rachel," she said, "Quickly, before they find you."

"Before who finds you?" Blaine asked.

"I'll explain later, I promise," she said, breaking free from his grasp and running towards Sebastian.

"No! Rachel!" he shouted, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her back to him, "I won't lose you, what's going on?"

"I don't have the time right now," Rachel said hurriedly, "I really have to go, if I don't, you might never see me again, so please… please… let me go."

There was a look of fear and horror in Rachel's eyes mixed with the pleading look. But Blaine had that heartbroken look that made it harder and harder for Rachel to beg for him to let her go. Blaine had just told her that he loved her and now she was leaving, maybe forever. It crushed him to loosen the grip on her wrist.

Suddenly, there was a loud shriek, and all of the lights, even the candles and lanterns were put out. There was nothing but darkness in the entire castle. Rachel clung to Blaine's side as Santana held onto Sebastian. Sebastian held out for Rachel's hand and she took it and the both of them walked into the ballroom, knowing exactly what was going on.

"Seb…" Santana breathed, letting go of Sebastian's arm and standing worriedly in front of the door.

"N-no…" Blaine protested as he felt Rachel slip away from him.

Blaine and Santana followed after Rachel and Sebastian as they walked into the ballroom. Inside was a large blue ball that floated in mid air, dripping water as it spun around, whispering in a dark and deep voice, "Rachel… My Princess… Rachel…"

Rachel took a deep breath and took two steps forward towards the ball.

"Here I am," she said loudly.

In the same second, the ball burst in front of the crowd that was surrounding it. From it, there were images of waves crashing and a large form of Hiram and Leroy appeared in front of them with their arms crossed around her chest they looked more than angry.

"RACHEL!" Hiram's figure boomed, shaking the entire ballroom.

The crowd around her fell to the ground, shaking in fear as they held onto the other people around them. Even Sebastian fell to Santana's side, but Rachel stood still in front of her fathers.

"Father…" she responded.

"What have you done!?" Leroy was the next to yell, "Why did you disobey your father when we told you to stay away from these humans! Now you have become one of them yourself!"

"This is more than just a direct violation of our laws," Hiram yelled, "It is a scandal, an absolute outrage! How could you be so stupid enough as to love a human!"

"Love seeks NO boundaries father!" Rachel argued.

"You are a fool," Leroy laughed, "I went easy on you at first, but leaving your home without telling us where you were for months! There is nothing that could ever compare to any crime in the kingdom!"

"You can't take me away from here!" Rachel yelled back, "You can't take me from the man I love! If love is strong enough to make me human, than love is strong enough to fight you! My love for Blaine brought me here, and our love won't give into your stupid rules!"

"The penalty of what you have done is death!" Hiram shouted.

"NO!" Blaine yelled. Sure, he was confused by what was going on this whole time, but telling Rachel that she must die was something that he would not stand for. He rushed to Rachel's side and took her in his arms, holding her tightly to him, "I WON'T LET HER DIE!"

Hiram and Leroy raised their eyebrows at the sight in front of them.

"Ahh," Leroy said, "So this is the young man who's taken our daughter away… you're misunderstanding us dear boy, anyone else who did this will die… but seeing as she's our princess, we can't kill her by law… but we can kill you."

"Do you think if we kill him, Rachel won't fight with us so much?" Hiram asked Leroy, causing an uproar in the crowd of people.

"No!" Rachel cried, leaving Blaine's embrace and standing in front of him, "If you take him, you take me too!"

Hiram crossed his arms again and gave her a challenging look, "Do you think he would feel the same way if he found out who you really are?"

"What's he talking about, Rachel?" Blaine asked.

"Let's find out," Leroy said, reaching out his staff, causing a gold light to fly from it straight onto Rachel's body.

Rachel let out a small gasp and fell slowly onto the ground. Blaine quickly threw his arms underneath her, not able to see her through the gold light surrounding her body. Santana cowered into Sebastian's side as he kept themselves out of view from the kings as they watched Rachel transform.

The gold light faded away and Rachel shut her eyes at the sudden pain that she felt when her legs turned back into her pink tail. When the tail was revealed in Blaine's lap, he didn't even make a noise, not a single sound, but he just stared blankly at the mer-creature in front of him while the people gasped and some of them even fainted.

"R-Rachel…?" he said shakily.

Her eyes shot open and immediately looked up into Blaine's eyes. This wasn't the familiar brown color he was so used to seeing, but this was a striking crystal blue color. It was probably the most people color he had ever seen in his entire life.

Then as he stared into her eyes, he saw it all in front of him.

* * *

_Blaine gasped and sat back in fear. "Are you… Are you one of Columbus?" he asked, shaking._

_"I am," Rachel said smoothly and sweetly._

_"Then show yourself, please, my lady," he said forcefully._

_"I cannot," she replied, "For if I go any further, your ship falls to my kingdom… If you wish to see my face, come forth."_

_Blaine shook the boat a little bit while he made it to the other side, only to see the most striking pair of crystal blue eyes against a light tan complexion. Rachel's face remained expressionless as she saw the man fully analyze her face and features._

_"You are mermaid?" he asked to make sure he was correct._

_Rachel lifted the end of her tail out of the water to reveal the pink with shades of purple scales. "I am," she nodded._

_"I am Rachel," she said formally, "Princess Rachel Berry of the Kingdom of Columbus."_

_"Rachel…" he repeated, the name falling sweetly off his tongue._

* * *

_"She is rising," Emma said, gesturing to the water._

_Moments later, Rachel came into view, only her head popping out of the water._

_"Blaine!" she cried happy, "What are you doing here so early?"_

_"I hope I was intruding on anything," he said cautiously, getting on his knees to kneel towards her._

_"For you, I'd stop anything," she smiled, "But I mustn't stay too long. My fathers will be suspicious if I'm here until sunset."_

_"I can't be away from my kingdom for long either," he nodded, "I just had to come and see you."_

_"Me too," she said happily, "I was much to sad that we couldn't see each other last night."_

_"I know, dear," he said, hanging his head low, "I'm sorry, I was much too busy with the kingdom."_

* * *

_"You're the one I've been looking for," he said softly, and then smiled._

_"I have dreamed you would say that one day," she smiled, "but never did I think you would actually say it."_

_Then, in the same instant, Blaine leaned his head down just a tad and placed a sweet kiss on Rachel's lips. Rachel held onto the rock for leverage as she pushed herself up to kiss him. Blaine pushed his hands underneath the surface to grab Rachel by the sides of her torso and pulled her up so she could sit on the edge, still kissing her slowly and passionately, keeping one hand on her torso and the other on her cheek while she brought her hand up to his head. Rachel had never been kissed like this before. She could feel that there was real love between them now, nothing would ever keep her from trying to be with him forever._

* * *

He remembered everything about her. She was the mysterious voice, and he would go out to see her for several months. They talked and laughed with each other, and on the day he first realized she was his true love, she was taken away from him. Then, he forgot everything about her. How could he ever forget Rachel? She was perfect, even if she was a mermaid. Now he has these memories along with the ones he has with her as a human.

"Rachel?" he asked, looking down at her in shock, "Is that really you? You changed yourself into a human to find me?"

Rachel nodded and grabbed onto his suit, "You have to help me…" she pleaded.

But it was too late for Blaine to do anything. Hiram's gigantic hand grabbed onto Rachel's tail and started to pull her, but Blaine had a grip on Rachel's hand. It was obvious that Hiram's grip was much stronger than Blaine's and Rachel looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I love you, Blaine," she cried.

"I love you, Rachel."

Rachel let go of his hand and let herself fall into the blue ball, knowing that there was nothing else she could do now. The blue ball vanished suddenly and the lights were immediately turned back on.

The crowd was looking around for a moment, beginning to wonder what was going on, until one of the gentlemen began to clap. Suddenly everyone was clapping, applauding the wonderful "entertainment" for the evening. Blaine turned to Sebastian with tears in his eyes.

"Where is she?" he asked, "Please Sebastian… you have to tell me where she is."

"Columbus," Sebastian responded, "She's in Columbus… but I don't know if she'll find a way out of this one on her own."

"Oh god…"

Blaine fell to his knees in tears. That was it. Rachel was gone. He had just remembered her and he was in love with her and everything, but now she was gone forever, and there was nothing he could do. Santana bent down beside him and rubbed his back as he grieved for the loss of the love is his life, as if she was dead.


	12. Chapter 11: The Norm

**AN: Hey guys. I'm so happy about the positive reviews and PM's I've been receiving about this story. It's the most amazing feeling in the world to read how excited you are about this and it really inspires me when I think about everyone who anticipates each chapter, so I just wanted to say thank you for your support.**

**So this chapter is shorter and it's more of a follow up from last chapter's epic ending. The next chapter is gonna be longer and more epic, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters.**

* * *

There was a flash of light, and then a soft poof and Rachel saw the underwater castle around her. She spun around slowly several times before she realized that this was no dream or a fantasy. This was happening. Rachel was home, and yet she felt as though she was going to die. She looked over to the exit of the throne room she was in and rushed to the arch in a fit of rage, but she was stopped by the guards who grabbed her by the arms and dragged her by the arms.

"No! Blaine!" She screamed as she shook vigorously to at least try and break free from their grasp while she started to cry in pain.

Rachel wanted nothing more than to try again. She wanted to go back and ask Emma if there was ANYTHING she could do to turn back into a human and be with Blaine again. This time, they'd love each other right. Things were finally starting to go right when everything went wrong under the sea, and now she was back home, missing the one thing that that truly made her happy. So, after she got tired, she fell to the ground, still reaching and trying to get up and trying to get back to him, for she knew that Blaine was doing the same thing, probably drowning in sorrows and pain like she was.

"Things are better left this way, Rachel," Hiram said in a deep and soft voice.

Rachel paused for a moment, turning her head to look over her shoulder at her father in total disgust and agony.

"Better left this way?" She spat, "How?! Tell me! I don't see it! Because all I see is NOTHING! I have NOTHING without him! I love him!"

Hiram quickly swam down to her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to get up, but all she felt was pain as his fist squeezed her arm.

Hiram stared at her for a moment before he spoke again in a much calmer voice, "You have a family and an entire kingdom-."

"I am not a child!" Rachel argued, "Maybe when I was younger it was all about taking care of the kingdom I grew up in but I am my own person now! Not only is it time for me to stop worrying about this kingdom, but also I have to be my own person! Why won't you let me move on like normal girls are supposed to!"

"Because he is a human!" Leroy said, getting up from his throne as Hiram released his grip.

Rachel remained at eye level to her fathers, clutching her arm in pain.

"It doesn't matter to me! It never has!" she argued.

"He's a barbarian!" Hiram shouted.

"You will never know him like I do! NEVER! Because of your stupid pride!"

Rachel swam off up the corridors and to the girl's bedroom, slamming the door and falling on her bed, her face red with sadness and anger as she drowned her sorrows into her pillow.

There was a small clicking sound and the doorknob shook a little bit. Rachel slowly got out of her bed and swam quietly and slowly to the door. Once she got her hand on it, she pulled, but it didn't open, and Rachel groaned in anger. The door was locked. The only thing that would keep her sane was the window beside her bed, but even that too was barred so not even little Riley could swim through it, and now Rachel was truly trapped.

The door opened and Rachel heard several small voices whispering to each other, and the same sound of the door locking came again.

"Rachel…" Regina said softly, sitting beside her bed, "It's gonna be okay."

"Actually no, it's not," Rachel cried, shaking her head.

"You don't know that… maybe things will lighten up," Rayna said hesitantly while nervously trying to pat her back.

"How can they?" Rachel spat, sitting up instantly with ferocity in her eyes, "No one else understands… I have a siren… and Blaine heard it… and he found out before I left for land… but father and papa erased his memory and yet I we still fell in love all over again! There is nothing else left for me here! The kingdom of Lima loves me! Blaine is my true love… I love him… and he loves me-."

"I doubt he actually loves you, Rach," Regina said, rolling her eyes a bit, "Humans don't normally hear mermaid sirens like that."

"You can't say that when you don't know ANYTHING about what happened between us! You weren't there! You never saw the look in his eyes! All of you will NEVER know what's it like to be in love because you're all trapped here in the confinement of the palace walls and being forced to marry someone that our fathers think is right for us! But they're wrong about me! Because I found my siren and I found the man who hears it and we love each other and you will NEVER know what that feels like."

Neither of her sisters bothered to speak any further, because Rachel's mind was set on this, and there was nothing that any of them could say that would change her mind or make her forget this whole thing ever happened, because in Rachel's mind, this was a living nightmare and she just wanted all of it to go away, she wanted to go back to the ball and make things right with Blaine and be with him forever. But it wasn't going to happen, so she decided to cry herself to sleep until there was nothing left in her little blue eyes to shed. Even then, it still didn't get her to fall asleep, because she couldn't sleep right anymore without Blaine by her side, or at least without him near her or knowing what was going to happen to them now that they were separated.

That familiar clicking sound came again and Rachel gasped this time, not knowing whom it could have possibly been, since all of her sisters were now asleep in their respective beds. Rachel crept closer to the door until it swung open and Shelby was standing there.

"Grandmother," she whispered, "You scared me."

"I'm sorry child," Shelby whispered back, patting her shoulder, "but I need you to follow me."

"Why?" Rachel asked, "I'm not allowed outside my room anymore."

"Not without an escort, now hurry, we don't need to wake any of your sisters."

Rachel nodded and followed Shelby out of the bedroom. The trail that they took was rather curious. They ended up swimming past the coral tubes, through the kelp fields, passed the coral reefs and straight into the caves. This was far off from where Rachel had wanted to go. She hoped that her grandmother would take her back to Emma to fix everything and become human again, and what she actually saw puzzled her.

There was a small opening in a large rock that seemed to lead some place, because Shelby knew exactly what she was doing. Rachel followed her through the circle and what came into view surprised her.

It was another cave, but this one was much more spectacular. The moon was shining directly through what looked like an old volcano. The surface was still high above them and underneath was an entire living space. There were beds and mirrors and everything you could possibly need, plus it was beautiful.

Shelby kept on swimming, however, towards the surface that was high above their heads, and Rachel followed her. When she peaked her eyes above the surface, she saw all of this wildlife and plants that grew from the large land around them. The land above was just as spacious as the land below, and there plenty room for two people to live on land and sea forever. There were several butterflies that flew from tree to tree and exotic flowers that gave several colors to the land.

"This is where I always used to go when I was about Rebecca's age," Shelby said, already sitting on the edge of the pool, her tail going in and out of the water gracefully.

"Was it just to get away from all the madness?" Rachel asked, grabbing onto the surface edge and propping herself on her elbows.

"Sort of," she nodded, "I met a human boy out in the middle of the ocean… his name was William. We wanted to see each other again, so we met in secret in this very place… For 10 years we remained friends, but I loved him… There was nothing either of us could do about it though, so we moved on with our own lives, still seeing each other most of the time, but we still cared about each other always."

"What happened?" Rachel asked eagerly, "Where is he now? Do you still see him?"

Shelby's expression saddened, "We parted ways before you were even born. He said that if his people ever knew that I existed, then the vicious villagers would come after us and kill us… he couldn't ever let that happen to me, so he left and never came back."

"That's so sad," Rachel said softly.

"He died in a war with another kingdom when you were a child," she added, "Nobody ever knew about us… it was just too dangerous… I knew that I had to keep my people safe, so I let it go… but the bond between us has changed and twisted and switched generations. It seems fate wants our families to unite our people… that way our differences won't seem so… different."

"Switched generations?" Rachel asked.

"William was Blaine's grandfather."

Rachel gasped and fell back for a moment, looking from her grandmother then reflecting upon herself. "Then what are you saying?"

"Just because you can't be with Blaine, doesn't mean you can't be there for your family, your people… like I did," Shelby replied, "It doesn't mean your life is over."

Rachel looked up at her for a moment with a blank, yet disgusted expression. How could someone she admired give up so easily? This wasn't like her grandmother to tell her to just let it go. This reaction started a fire inside of Rachel's heart and she looked determinedly at Shelby.

"But I'm not like you…" she said fiercely, "I'm going to unite the humans and the mermaids if it means I die trying."

Rachel dove back into the water with a loud splash, her tail was the last thing to reach the bottom.

Shelby sat still at the lands edge and looked up at the opening of the volcano to the moon.

"Oh William… my granddaughter is doing something that we, ourselves, were afraid to do… if only your grandson would listen to her… they're not meant to be apart any longer now that they've found each other."


	13. Chapter 12: The Faint Hearted Part 1

**AN: Hey guys! Loving all of the positive reviews right now. I love getting email notifications about new reviews, so keep 'em coming. This chapter is REALLY long, so I cut it into two parts. This is part one, and trust me, you guys are gonna flip and some of you might hate me. But it's not the end. There are 14 chapters to this story and this is 12, so bare with me**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters.**

* * *

Nobody's heart was sadder than Prince Blaine's. He never looked so morose about anything in his entire life. While he rarely slept most nights, he tried to find a way to get Rachel back to Lima or at least find her.

The town square by Kurt Hummel's dress shop was no longer filled with dancing and music, in fact, all of the people were inside, keeping away from the outside world by fear of what was going to happen to them next. What happened at the ball was unknown, and while most of the people thought it was all just a show for entertainment, others were worried that something was coming for them.

The kingdom sulked with fear and loss of the beautiful Lady Rachel, which only motivated Blaine more to find Rachel. It was frustrating how no books in his entire library could tell him about mermaids. He was in a rut, and he figured he needed to go directly to the source, so he went to the village square to find Santana and Sebastian, hoping they'd know something. He'd start in Kurt's dress shop, knowing that Santana liked to be there, and wherever she was, Sebastian was sure to be by her side.

When he opened the door to the dress shop, creating that sound of the small bell, he saw Sam on one knee with Quinn, small tears filling her eyes as she smiled. Sam picked up Quinn and spun her around, the two of them laughing with joy and Santana, Sebastian and Kurt applauded around them.

"What's this?" Blaine asked.

Sam set Quinn down on her feet and Quinn's mouth fell open while she stayed by Sam's side.

"Lord Sam has just proposed to the princess," Kurt explained.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Blaine," Quinn said softly, "but when they told me I was to marry you… Lord Sam and I were in love and that's why I was so harsh to you… I hoped that you would force me to leave you so that Sam and I could be together again."

"But as it turns out, Rachel helped you forget about her all together, so I asked her to marry me," Sam said, smiling down at her.

Blaine paused for a moment and closed the door behind him, leaning against it. The only thing that kept him and Rachel from falling in love was his engagement to Quinn. If Blaine had known that Sam and Quinn were in love, he could have forgotten all about her and focused on Rachel. They would be together and she could have told him everything and he would have remembered her, then he could protect her when she was in danger, but instead she was gone and God knows what was happening to her now.

"I could have been with Rachel this entire time…" Blaine said, tears filling his eyes, "I was so determined to marry Quinn to keep my people safe, that I was blinded by the fact that Sam could have done it himself… and Rachel and I could have been together…"

Sebastian wrapped on arm around Santana and she rested her head on his shoulder while Quinn wrapped her arms around Sam. She was finally happy that she could marry someone she actually loved, rather than being forced into something she disapproved of. However, she felt terrible that she didn't say anything sooner about Sam.

"Sebastian," Blaine said, quickly going over to him, the desperateness growing in his eyes as he begged, "Please… tell me where Rachel could be… I need her… and you know very well she needs me too."

There was a long pause, before Sebastian sighed and looked from Santana to Blaine, then he spoke. "There's a way… but it's risky-."

"Please…" Blaine pleaded, "She's the love of my life, Sebastian… she's everything I've ever wanted… and she's the only thing that has ever made me truly happy… please help me… I need to find her… I love her."

Sebastian looked into Blaine's weak eyes that were stained red with tears and no sleep. Every person in the room saw the pain that resided in his voice as he pleaded. If they had waited another moment, Blaine would have gotten on his knees and cried until there were no tears to shed. There was a whole in his heart and it showed.

"I understand," Sebastian finally said, then he directed his attention to the Latina sitting on the stool beside him, "I'd be the same as you are now if I ever lost Santana the way you lost Rachel… and I know somewhere at home, she's just as devastated as you are." He then brought his lips to her head as he rubbed her arm.

"So you'll help me?" Blaine asked, the small hope left in his eyes growing.

"Yes, I will help you," he nodded.

"Thank you Sebastian," the prince replied weakly, grabbing onto his friend and hugging him tightly. Sebastian was at least going to try and bring back something that meant more than his own life to him, and the fact that he was willing to try was the kindest thing anyone could have ever done for him.

* * *

Sebastian and Blaine quickly ran down to the beaches of Lima without turning back. It was nearly sundown and the tide was high so when they reached the shore, the water went up to their feet. Blaine knelt down by the water's edge once he saw the sea foam collect on the sand. He placed his hand out to touch the water and let the small amount of water wash over his fingertips. In some kind of way, it felt like he was touching a bit of Rachel, like the sea represented her life, her body, and her soul.

"Sebastian!" Santana's voice called from the distance.

He turned quickly and looked to see her on a horse quickly approaching them.

"Santana, you can't come with us!" he warned, "It's too dangerous!"

Santana's horse came to a halt and she quickly got off and ran straight into his arms, pushing him back into the ocean.

"I don't care," she said with a small laugh, "I want to see your world and everything in it and I want to help my prince get his princess back."

Sebastian laughed softly as he stood back up and carried her in his arms, "You are so sweet, darling. But if you get hurt, I'd never forgive myself… I'm not ready to lose you when I've just gotten you."

Blaine's eyes began to tear up as he cupped his hand to hold a small puddle of seawater in his hand. "Oh my Rachel…" he whispered.

Santana and Sebastian looked at Blaine who had tears in his eyes once again, staring into the palm of his hand as if the last remaining unbroken piece of his heart was in there. He set Santana on her feet and Sebastian looked distantly out into the horizon line while Santana and Blaine looked at him.

"Emma will know what to do," he said, "Blaine, do you remember her?"

"I do," Blaine responded, standing back up on his own two feet, "I got there by boat."

"Well I can get there by magic," Sebastian interjected, "Grab onto my arm, Blaine."

Blaine wasn't going to question anything Sebastian had to say, because he knew Rachel better than anybody else. They are from the same world, and if anyone's going to know how to get Rachel back, it was Sebastian. So Blaine walked around Sebastian and Santana and placed his hand on his shoulder. Sebastian shut his eyes and stepped into the water with the tide barely touching his ankles.

Suddenly, the scene around them transformed and within the same second, there was cave around them. The rocks were damp, dripping with water, instead of the sun shining on them and the kingdom all around them. The only sounds that were there were the sounds of water dripping onto the cave floor and the water pushing against the rocks.

"Sebastian," Emma's still and steady voice came from behind them, "You've returned and you've brought friends."

Sebastian turned to Emma, holding Santana's hand while Blaine looked equally serious at her. "Emma, we want to know what happened to Rachel," Sebastian said determinedly, "Where is she? What have her fathers done to her?"

"The kings are angry with her," she said, her expression saddening, "They have locked her in the palace forever. Only Queen Shelby has taken her out of the castle once, but that is with supervision. Rachel will be arrested if she leaves the castle unprotected."

Blaine sighed for a moment, then he looked curiously at Emma. "But she is alive?" he asked.

"Yes, Prince Blaine… she is alive."

"Emma, I need you to change me back," Sebastian said.

"Seb…" Santana's worried voice said quietly.

He turned directly to her, taking her hands in his and kissing both of them gently. "I care about you, Santana," he assured her, "but I need to go… I have to save my friend and this is going to help your friend too. All four of us will be together again… but I need to change back."

Santana gave him a quick kiss to his lips before turning back to Emma.

"Do you remember what I told you when I gave you that potion?" Emma asked.

Sebastian nodded and took the vile out of his chest pocket, taking a sip from it.

He shook his head several times for a moment before he felt the rush of adrenaline take over his body. Sebastian ran straight into the water, causing it to bubble up around him. Santana stood next to Blaine, both of them holding hands and crossing their fingers in hopes that Sebastian would be safe and find Rachel.

The water was stilled for a moment when suddenly, Sebastian came shooting out of the water, doing a flip in the air to reveal his red tail before splashing back into the water. The feeling of the cool water against his skin again felt like a regular human in a pool full of water, but once he realized he could breathe under there again, he started to swim in circles. It had been 3 months since he had been on land, so being underwater was an exhilarating feeling. From there, Sebastian went on his mission to find Rachel.

* * *

The grotto helped soothe Rachel's anger towards her fathers, but the morose feeling of being away from Blaine seemed to eat away at her no matter where she was. The grotto, both land and sea, gave her so many things to think about, but the only problem was that those thoughts were about Blaine and herself. She kind of wanted to end it all and take herself away from this world if she can't be with Blaine, but Rachel knew that Blaine would want her alive, even if they were apart, he would want her breathing, just so he had something to believe in.

Throughout all of this lonely time that she had of just sitting in the grotto by herself, she missed Blaine with a passion. The actual tears would fall down her face when she surfaced. Rachel remembered the way her heart felt when they first arrived in the town square. She remembered how afraid she was when the guards came to arrest her, and how safe she felt when Blaine saved her, and how warm it felt to play the piano beside him and share stories of their lives. Rachel remembered how in love she was when she danced with him, then she remembered how heartbroken she was when she thought of his marriage to Quinn. Then there was the ball incident, but then she remembered the way his lips felt on hers, so perfect like two puzzle pieces fitting together at long last. But the worst came afterwards and the pain filled her entire body. Her heart ached so much that she almost turned numb with the desperate feeling of wanting to be beside Blaine again so she could truly be happy once more, but that wasn't going to happen for a very, very, very long time.

Rachel was startled for a moment when she saw movement in the water. She hoisted herself up onto the rock and grabbed one of the sharp sticks that she carried with her in the grotto incase someone had ever tried to take her away from there. Rachel held it up stiffly towards the water, ready to strike whatever came out of the water, but it wasn't a guard or a dangerous animal. Rachel saw a bright red streak come from the bottom of the grotto as it rose towards the surface and Rachel had assumed it was a shark that had killed something, so she tightened her grip on the spear.

The red streak continued upward towards the surface, but slowly. As Rachel was prepared to strike, the creature reached the surface, but it wasn't a dangerous animal. What Rachel saw lifted her spirits completely.

"Jeez Rach! You could seriously injure somebody with that thing!" Sebastian's eyes widened at the sight of Rachel as his head reached the surface, "Calm down, it's just me."

Rachel dropped the spear in her hand, and it took a moment for her to realize what had just happened. Sebastian was back, and if Sebastian was back, then he had to be coming from somewhere, and that somewhere is Lima, and he probably had a pretty good reason for coming back. Either way, the only person in all of the ocean who understood her had returned.

"Sebastian!" she cried, jumping from the edge of the land straight into the water to hug him tightly, "Oh Sebastian! My dearest friend! When did you get back? How did you find me?"

"I changed back just this afternoon, I had to find you, Rachel," he said, still taking heavy breaths from the hurried journey to get there, "If I didn't find you, the Prince would mostly likely never smile again."

"Oh Blaine…" Rachel whispered, clutching her hand to her heart, "My love… if he feels as broken as I do-."

"Worse," Sebastian interjected, "He has not slept or eaten in days. All he does is find ways to get you back and then he sits in his room and cries tears of the greatest sorrow. You can see it in his eyes."

Rachel's bottom lip quivered and she placed her other hand over her heart, as if that were the only thing keeping it together completely. "Those beautiful hazel eyes… red with sorrow… oh my darling, my love." She sat back down on the ledge near the land's edge and began to cry.

"Don't cry," Sebastian said assumingly, sitting down beside her and rubbing her back, "I've brought good news, actually… Blaine's cousin, Sam, has proposed to Quinn."

"Lord Sam?" Rachel asked, taking her head out of her hands slowly, "what did she say?"

"She said yes," he answered with a small smile on his face, "Quinn never loved Blaine… she was only horrible to him so he would want to get rid of her… but Quinn and Sam have loved each other for years and were never allowed to marry because the kingdom wanted the merge to happen…"

"But Sam is of the royal blood of Lima… he can move to Westerville and marry her there, the kingdoms can still be united," Rachel argued.

Sebastian nodded and his smile got wider, "Exactly."

Rachel sat back up, putting all of the puzzle pieces together in her head.

"So you're saying… that when Sam marries Quinn, the kingdoms can unite… and Blaine remains unmarried?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Rachel gasped and hugged Sebastian once more, but it was a bittersweet victory for the poor princess.

"But my trials have been used up…" Rachel sighed, sitting back against the rocks, "I can't turn human again. So even now that Blaine can marry me… I still can't be human with him."

"No Rachel, don't lose hope," he pleaded, going back into the open water, "Come with me. I have Blaine and Santana with me. They're waiting in Emma's cove now."

"My Blaine?" Rachel asked eagerly, immediately hoping off the ledge and following him, "Well take me there, quickly!"

Sebastian grabbed her hand and the two of them went beneath the surface again. They were halfway down the underwater grotto, both of them with smiles on their faces and anxiously swimming as fast as they could towards the cave.

Suddenly, as they got closer to the entrance of the grotto, they were stopped in their tracks once again. Rachel gasped and held onto Sebastian tightly, knowing that whatever was going to happen going to be harsh and cruel as always, especially now that Rachel was out of the castle unattended.

"Stop!" Hiram's booming voice shouted as Sebastian and Rachel saw the two kings hiding in the shadows of the walls. Only their heads were visible through the dim light.

"Your majesties," Sebastian gasped, stuttering a bit for words to get them out of the messy situation, "I-I was just taking Rachel back to the castle. The queen told me where to find her, so I went to go get her-."

"Silence!" Leroy shouted, "We know why you have returned, Sebastian."

Rachel peeked out from behind Sebastian's shoulder with a look of terror on her face.

"and YOU!" Hiram said directly to Rachel, "We know what you two are up to. We know Sebastian has gone to live with the human to accompany Rachel. What both of you have done is absurd, and Rachel knows that far too well. We've punished her enough as it is."

"There's nothing more you can do now," Rachel argued, "I'm already in hell!"

"In fact there is," Leroy interjected, "Harming a princess is against our laws… and hurting Sebastian won't do anything at all…"

"Maybe getting rid of the humans will change your mind," Hiram suggested.

Rachel gasped and shouted at the top of her lungs, the idea of Blaine being harmed by her fathers was the worst thing imaginable. "NO!" she screamed, trying to swim towards Emma's cove to warn him, to protect him, but Sebastian had his arms firmly around her, keeping her from swimming any further. "Don't hurt him! Please!" Rachel cried.

"They can't anyway, Rachel," Sebastian said, "They're safe at Emma's cove and she'll know when you're planning to attack. Santana and Blaine will be gone before you can reach them!"

Leroy and Hiram looked at each other menacingly at each other, which caused Rachel to squeeze Sebastian's arm. The two kings appeared out of the shadows, one arm holding onto each of their staffs, but the other arm was stretched out as if they were holding something.

"If we can't hurt YOU to make you listen…" Hiram said in a mysterious and deep voice, "then maybe this will."

The two kings were now fully in the light, and what Rachel and Sebastian made their hearts crumble and their eyes filled with terror.

In Hiram's left hand was the arm of Prince Blaine, his lips pressed tightly shut together as well as his eyes, his other free hand trying to grasp at anything he could possibly grab. In Leroy's right hand was Santana's arm, looking similar to Blaine, except her eyes were open and looking at Sebastian with weakness.

"BLAINE! NO!" Rachel shouted, rushing to Blaine's side, but was cut off by Hiram's staff, that was now glowing yellow and burned Rachel's skin when she tried to break past it.

"Your majesties, they're running out of air..." Sebastian pleaded, reaching his hand out slightly towards Santana while looking at the glowing yellow staff that Leroy held in his other hand.

"We will drop them and let them fall to the ocean floor," Hiram said with a devilish grin, then looked at Leroy.

"No.. please! Let him live! Let them both live! Please…" Rachel continued to look at Blaine and saw the struggle in his expression, "At least let me save him and then… I'll go with you… his kingdom needs him, so please… let him live."

"And what say you, Sebastian?" Leroy asked, looking down at him.

"I say yes," he nodded, "Let them live and we promise to never speak of them again… we will never see them again… taking their lives won't do any good to you. Once their people find out who did this, they will come after you… let them live."

The kings looked at each other again, then down at the two humans. Santana looked like she still had air left, but not for much longer. However, Blaine looked more and more weak by the second, and Rachel's eyes never left him.

"Then they are no longer our responsibility. If you can catch them in time, they will live," Hiram said, and motioned over to Leroy.

The two of them shared a look and in synchronized motion, they released their grips on Blaine and Santana, and the two immediately started sinking further down to the bottom, which was a long way from where they were floating.

Rachel and Sebastian didn't bother sharing a look or communicating with each other, but they quickly swam after them.

Santana was quick and though sharply, swimming slowly up to Sebastian, who caught her in his arms and held her close to him for a moment, just to cherish the moment that she was alive. When he felt her heart beat starting to slow down, he quickly swam her back up to the land's end and rested her on the ledge, grabbing her face in between his hands.

"Santana," he gasped as she coughed up water.

"Oh Sebastian… if I had stayed down there another moment, I would have drowned," she said in raspy voice as she started breathing heavily to gain more air, "but I am grateful for you, my love."

"I love you," he said, before hoisting himself up on his hands to kiss her lips.

Rachel was fast, but Blaine didn't have any air left. He couldn't hold his breath like Rachel could, so she swam as fast as she possibly could to grab Blaine. He was also heavy, and so it took longer to reach him to the surface. Each second she spent pulling him towards the surface, she tried harder and harder to let him live, and to let him survive this. If he died, that would be worse than being separated from him.

Sebastian noticed Rachel's head pop out of the water, "Seb!" she called urgently, "Help me!"

Sebastian picked Blaine's body up out of the water. Instead of softly sitting up on the ledge, like Santana did when she was pulled up onto land, Blaine layed on the ground, motionless. Rachel pushed herself up on to the land as well, laying beside him so she was hovering over him, caressing his cheek.

"Blaine… please don't leave me…" she begged, "I love you."

She moved her hand down to his heart, trying to see if she could feel a heartbeat. Sebastian was now sitting on the land with Santana in his arms as the two of the looked concerned over at Rachel.

Suddenly, Rachel felt his heartbeat, and she quickly looked over at Blaine. She moved her ear over his mouth to see if she could hear his breath.

"I love you too…" a soft whisper said into her ear.

Rachel gasped and looked down at Blaine's body, his eyes now open as he softly smiled at her.

"Oh Blaine…" Rachel said, happy tears filling her eyes this time.

"My Rachel," he said almost too quiet to hear, but what everyone saw, was his hand reaching over to the one on his heart and grabbed it tightly in his hand, "I thought I'd lost you forever."

"You thought so?" she asked, "You nearly died, sweet love."

"At least I would have died with you," he replied, sitting up as he touched her cheek, "I vowed that I would find you and die trying."

"But if you had died… then a piece of my heart would have died with you," she interjected, "I would never be able to love anyone else the way I love you, Blaine."

"I would rather die alone than live with anyone else," Blaine said, pressing his forehead against hers, just to feel the closeness between them. Rachel was finally here, and nothing could hurt him, "This is my vow to you now, Rachel. No matter what happens… I refuse to stop loving you..."

Rachel smiled and nodded, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tightly. "I promise you that I'll find a way to change back," she said softly, looking down at her tail, "Nothing is going to keep us apart... I promise you that I won't ever let go."

"Never," Blaine repeated, placing a very soft kiss on her lips.

It was only a soft kiss, but the magnitude of that feeling made Rachel's heart race. They had only kissed a few times, but it still felt like the first kiss every time. They fit so perfectly together that it felt like the most natural thing in the entire world, and yet it still had that spark of new, and powerful, love.

Rachel heard a loud and sharp sound that rung instantly through the air, and she smiled, assuming it was her own heart beating out of her chest, but then she felt Blaine's lips turn weak and cold. Suddenly, she heard a loud shriek from Santana as Blaine fell back onto the ground. She moved her hand quickly to Blaine's heart as she did before, but when she looked at her palm, she saw Blaine's blood smeared all over it.

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**AN: I hope you guys liked part 1! Here comes part 2! -**


	14. Chapter 12: The Faint Hearted Part 2

**AN: So this picks up right from where Part 1 left off. The only reason it's in 2 parts is because this chapter was 21 pages in my word document and I didn't want to have that much writing in one chapter. So enjoy part 2**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the glee characters**

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"B-Blaine…" Rachel said weakly.

"He's been shot." She suddenly heard her grandmother's voice from behind her in the water.

Sebastian turned his head to see Shelby with the two kings as well as Rachel's siblings, all rising from the water. Rachel, however, only saw the thing trail of smoke from where the pistol came from. In one of the bushes, was the pistol that fired the shot. She saw a pair of eyes that quickly disappeared, followed by the insignia on his chest.

"Westerville," Santana gasped, "He wouldn't marry their princess… so they decided to attack us instead…"

Rachel looked over at Santana, her eyes already starting to become watery. Blaine coughed and Rachel looked back at him, returning her hands to his chest to keep the blood in.

"Rachel…" he said in a hoarse voice.

"Blaine!" Rachel shouted urgently, "Stay with me, okay? You're gona be fine."

Blaine shook his head, "I'm dying, Rachel."

She shook her head several times, keeping her eyes on Blaine as the tears started to blur her vision.

"No you're not," she demanded, putting more pressure on his wound to stop the bleeding.

While she tried and tried to keep him alive, she knew that in a matter of minutes, there would be no Blaine, just his blood shed on the ground. But knowing this fact made her want to try harder to keep him alive. If Blaine was dead, then there was nothing left to really live for. Shelby had told her there was more to life than love, but she was wrong; loves changes even the most stubborn of people.

"Rachel…" he repeated, weakly reaching his shaking hand up to Rachel's to stop her from trying, "Surrender… give in."

"No," she protested with tears in her eyes, her sobbing now affecting the sound of her voice, "No, I won't let you die… I c-can't-."

"Shhhh," he hushed, tears now filling his own eyes, "Do something for me, please?"

"Anything," she said, turning her attention to him instead of on his chest, "What is it?"

"S-sing to me," he whispered, the pain now taking over his body as he stopped trying to breathe so hard, "That way… it'll be the last thing I hear… your voice."

"I'll do it," she whispered so quietly that only he could hear her, "but you'll live… I love you."

Blaine opened his mouth to say it back, but Rachel hushed, he needed to keep his energy in.

Rachel reached her arms underneath his head and body to hold him against her as she opened her mouth to sing. It wasn't just any song, it was a siren, and the kings, Rachel's siblings, Shelby, Sebastian and Santana knew that it was a siren because none of them could hear it very well, but Blaine smiled, closing his eyes and he touched her heart.

"Beautiful," he whispered so quietly that Rachel barely heard it herself, "I'll always love you…"

Rachel continued to sing as the tears fell out of her eyes as easily as the notes fell out of her mouth. Rachel could feel his breath against her chest as she continuously stroked his hair.

She stopped singing when she stopped feeling his breath or hearing his heartbeat. He was growing colder in her arms. Blaine was dead.

"No…" Rachel sobbed quietly while shaking her head, holding Blaine close to her chest and kissing his head, cradling him like a precious object in her arms, "No… no… no! NO!" The louder she cried, the tighter she held him as if she was expecting him to hug her back, but his arms lay limp at his side.

Santana held onto Sebastian tightly, not crying as hard as Rachel, but grieving the loss of a man who was like her brother. Sebastian held Santana protectively close to him, rubbing her shoulders. He was glad she was still alive and that he was alive too. He couldn't imagine what kind of pain Rachel must have been feeling.

Rachel set him down on the land, now no longer able to use her strength to hold him up, but instead, when she laid his body down, she laid beside him, with her arms thrown around him. Rachel's hands clung onto the shirt he was wearing that was now covered in his blood, the same as her hands. She had cried so much that it almost hurt to cry now as she mourned the loss of her lover, her soul mate; her Blaine.

Amongst the crowd of the Berry siblings, all of which had tears in their eyes, Rebecca swam forward to stand beside her grandmother, giving her a nod before they approached Rachel, who looked like she was set in stone beside him there.

"Rachel," Rebecca said gently, brushing her tail lightly as Shelby rubbed her back, "Let's go… he's gone."

"No!" she screamed, holding onto him, touching his face and waiting for his eyes to open again, "No! I won't leave him!"

Shelby grabbed onto her arm and tugged harshly at it while Rebecca grabbed her other arm and did the same. This accomplished getting Rachel off the prince's body, but she only screamed more, trying to hold onto him. "I won't let go!" she screamed again, "I promised him!"

"You need to let go!" Shelby pleaded.

With one more tug from the both of them, Rachel fell back into the water, letting body fall deeper and deeper into the ocean. She opened her eyes and found a tall rock under the cave and clung onto it, grasping onto it so tightly that it would break if she squeezed any harder. Blaine was the only one who knew her, he was the only one who truly understood her and loved her. Now he's gone. When she said a piece of her heart would die with him, she meant it, now it was like she was only half a person. The body of her lover was dead and cold on the land, and she was forced to live a life of solitude under the sea. That life was her worst nightmare.

Rachel heard the sounds of her family swimming towards her, but she didn't bother to look away from her trance of sorrow. She imagined his face when they first met, how his lips felt against hers and how his arms felt wrapped around her. If her fathers hadn't taken her away, Rachel and Blaine would be married right now, they'd be happy in Lima together. Rachel would rule by his side and the mermaids and humans would be united. Now everything was hell, and Rachel was left with her heart torn in half. She would never love anyone the way she loves Blaine.

She turned her head and looked at her fathers and her brothers all waiting there for her attention. They were afraid of the red eyes Rachel had.

"If you had let us be together, NONE of this would have happened!" Rachel shouted, charging herself towards her fathers, "He LISTENED to me, he KNEW me, he LOVED me!"

Hiram had a hold of Rachel's wrists and she tried to pry herself away so she could hurt them herself, but they were too strong for her, so all she could do was shake her body vigorously as she tried to get away.

"He heard my siren! You saw yourself!" she said, calming down and grinding her teeth together in anger, "You saw with your own two eyes just how it happened! Do you believe me now!? Is that enough proof for you that he loved me! That we loved each other!? HUH!? If I had just stayed, he would be DEAD!"

Ryan and Rebecca came down from the surface and gave their fathers a nod before he released his grip on Rachel and Ryan caught his sister in his arms. As Hiram watched his daughter cry in his son's arms, he felt his heart grow weak, he felt guilty for holding her back. Leroy knew they were too harsh from the beginning, but never did he think this had affected Rachel in this kind of way. There was no way they could undo what they have done, but they wished they could save Blaine so Rachel could be happy, rather than devastated. They thought the siren wasn't a real thing, but seeing it happen in front of them only truly opened their eyes to see the incredible love they shared.

"It was wrong to take you away from him," Rebecca said in a soothing voice, "We're sorry… come on… let's take you back to see him."

Ryan carried her up to the surface, setting her on the ledge in the water so she could look at Blaine's body again. The tears stopped falling, but her heart still stinged. At least she could see his face again.

"What has happened to the prince?" Emma's voice came from out of the water as she began to rise up onto the land.

"A soldier has shot him with his pistol," Rebecca explained, "He is dead."

The sound of those words made the tears swell up in Rachel's eyes again as she sniffed.

"It's too late to save him, Emma," Ryan said, sitting beside Rachel and rubbing her back.

Emma looked at Blaine's body, reaching her hand out to touch him but then quickly looking to Rachel. "May I, Princess?" she asked.

Rachel nodded and Emma turned his body over so she could examine him, "Did this just happen?"

"Yes," Ryan answered.

"I may be able to save him," Emma responded.

Rachel eyes widened and she started to regain her hope, although it seemed nearly impossible, she'd do anything to bring him back.

"How?" Rebecca asked, "His heart has stopped beating."

"I have a potion," she said, holding out a bottle from the ground that she carried with her, "I saw in my globe that he was hurt, so I came quickly with this."

"W-What does it do?" Rachel asked.

"It saves any recently dead soul," she said, opening the cap, "but only before sundown on the first day of death. That's the only time when there is a small chance of saving them."

"Can you do it?" Rachel asked, sitting up on the edge of the land once again.

"I'd need a drop of his blood and a drop of blood from the one he loves."

Rachel nodded and pricked her finger with one of the thorns off a bush jus near the plants. Emma held the vile underneath her finger as one drop of blood fell into the bottle. She then dabbed her finger against his chest and put that drop into the bottle. She closed the lid and shook it in a circle, closing her eyes and saying an incantation under her breath. Rachel's own heart began to race from anticipation.

Emma opened the bottle once again and a silvery blue liquid came from out of the tip as it fell onto Blaine's wound. The skin began to sew itself back together and the blood around it vanished, however Rachel did not hear a breath from him.

"It didn't work," Santana whispered.

Rachel looked from Blaine to Emma and smiled softly at her, "Thank you for trying," she said.

She turned back to him and this time let a gentle tear fall from her body. Blaine liked it when she sang to him, and that was the only thing she really could do. So, Rachel opened her mouth and began to sing again, occasionally bringing her fingers under her eyes to attempt to get the tears away.

"I love you, Blaine," she whispered, leaning down and kissing his cold lips, "Forever."

Suddenly, a bright light flashed around them in the grotto, as if a storm had hit and lightening had struck inside it. This made Rachel fall back into the water in shock. Rachel looked around her and then back to where Blaine's body was.

"He's gone!" Sebastian gasped.

Rachel looked curiously around to see what happened, then she looked at Emma who gave her a nod of approval.

There was a loud shout that rung through the cave in the same second, and a man's body came falling down from the top of the cave and straight into the water with a loud splash.

"BLAINE!" Rachel screamed, swimming into the open water to grab him.

"Rachel?" he asked, floating there while holding onto Rachel, water dripping down from his face, "Wasn't I just dead?"

Rachel nodded and then smiled, "You were… but we saved you… Emma gave us a remedy and it worked."

Blaine gasped with a small smile as he looked around at everybody. "I will never understand your ways Rachel Berry… but I love you anyway."

"Oh Blaine! I love you too!"

The most amazing feeling in the entire world was feeling Blaine's warm lips against hers. He was able to hold her and kiss her back again. After thinking that those things would never happen again, here she was in the middle of the water, finally reunited for good this time.

Blaine and Rachel swam back to the ledge and sat there together, Rachel in Blaine's lap as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Why didn't the potion work the first time?" Santana asked, still holding onto Sebastian.

"In order for the potion to work, the heart has to start beating," Emma explained, "Something that Rachel did had to get Blaine's heart racing… therefore… he is alive."

"He sure is," Rachel said, kissing his cheek, the cheek that she thought would remain cold forever, but it was warm and he smiled as she kissed it.

"And now we can be together!" Blaine cheered.

The only one with a smile on their face was Blaine now. Even Rachel's fathers looked sad at the truth that Rachel was going to tell.

"N-no…" she whispered, just realizing this herself, "We can't…"

"Why?" Blaine asked, his heart breaking as he spoke, "After all of this… we love each other… we deserve to be together."

"I know… but… I can't turn human again… at this point… no amount of magic can change that."

Blaine lowered his head. It was Blaine's turn to keep himself from crying this time, "So this is goodbye?" he asked.

The grotto was cleared and everyone had gone back to their respective homes, but Blaine insisted that he and Rachel swim back to Lima together. It wasn't far from the grotto after all. Whenever Blaine got tired from swimming, Rachel would grab onto him and swim faster. Her strength underwater and as a mermaid was much better than her strength as a human.

As they got closer to the shore, they laid on their backs and let the water carry them to the shore. The waves were calm, so it was pretty easy to get there.

"So what happens after today?" he asked, "Do we just live the rest of our lives without each other."

Rachel sighed, wanting to reach out and grab his hand if it wouldn't ruin her balance on the surface of the water. "Blaine…"

That was all they needed to hear. Talking about living without each other was painful, and they both knew that they couldn't even say the words. That was the beautiful thing about them, how they could communicate without using their words. There was a connection between them that nobody in the entire world could fully understand, but they could still see it; their love for each other was in their eyes.

"You know if there was another way, I would-."

"I know you would, Rachel." Blaine didn't want to hear about how there was literally no way they could stay together. The fact that the love of his life would be away from him forever would kill him, but at least he knew she would be safe. Out of all the terrible things that could happen to him, knowing Rachel was far, but alive and safe, wasn't the worst thing in the entire world. Not knowing if she was dead or unhappy was worse.

The two of them reached the shore, Rachel got onto one of the rocks that the waves would hit when they arrived to the sand of the beach. Blaine started to wring out the water from his clothes, but then looked up when he saw Rachel watching him with a soft smile on his face. He stopped what he was doing, and by impulse, he just walked over to where she was and sat on the rock beside her.

"How are you going to explain to the kingdom what happened?" she asked.

"They all think it was a show to signal your farewell to them," he explained, looking into the villages as dozens of people walked back and forth between buildings and crossing streets filled with horse drawn carriages and wagons, "They love you, you know."

"I do know," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, "and I love them… but not more than you of course."

Blaine smiled and turned his head to kiss her wet hair. "I'm gonna miss you so much," he whispered.

Rachel tiled her head up so now her forehead was pressed against his, just closing their eyes so they could just feel each other breathe and sigh. Blaine brought his hand up to her cheek and kissed her lips softly. "Remember this Rachel," he said, only millimeters away from her lips, "No matter what happens… I will love you till the day I die."

"I'll love you much longer than that," Rachel sobbed, kissing him again, but harder this time. She wanted to remember this feeling for when she misses him the most. At least she has his memory with her while they are in two completely separate lands. "Will you at least come and visit me?" she asked, "Like you used to?"

"My coronation is tomorrow… after that I'll be much busier. But whenever I can, I will come see you, and I'll let Emma know I'm there."

"I will already know when you decide to return," she said softly, touching the area where his heart should be, feeling the softly pitter patter of his heart beat, "I'll feel it."

Instead of kissing her, Blaine wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, his eyes starting to tear up again. "I love you so much," he said.

"I love you too."

Rachel's arms were wrapped around his body, touching his back and simply feeling him. The more memories she had of him, the better. Blaine pulled away and kissed her one last time before the sun started to fall underneath the horizon line.

She let Blaine get safely onto the sand before she waved at him. He waved back at her. Suddenly, the separation between them was really setting in now as she looked over at the sea behind her. Rachel looked back at Blaine one last time and smiled at him, "If you ever miss me too much… just listen when the moon rises," she laughed and jumped into the water with a splash.

Blaine stood at the beach with his hand still waving in the water, watching the water settle as she swam away from the shore. While this hurt to have her leave like this, at least he wouldn't be completely alone, and he knew she would love him forever. So, Blaine set off towards the village, seeing Santana there at the cross between the sand and the streets of the village.

"I will go back when my services are no longer required here," she said, not bothering to show Blaine that she knew he was there, but staring at the ocean as the moon began to rise.

"Did Sebastian leave you here too?" Blaine asked.

Santana nodded as tear feel down her cheek, but her expression did not change. "It will be a lonely life until I can join him."

"You're going to live in Columbus?"

"Yes," she said, but not sounding cheerful at all, only serious, "the kings can't turn a mermaid into a human, but they can turn a human into a mermaid."

"Then what are you waiting for?" he asked, Blaine now keeping a serious expression while looking towards the village, watching the children play as their mothers and caretakers called them in as it got darker outside.

"I couldn't leave you alone, your highness."

"Well I can't force you to leave your love. I have no choice with mine, but you do. I'm not going to keep you from it."

Santana sighed and started walking back into the village alongside her prince. "I'll go in the morning," she said, "Right now… I need some rest."

Blaine nodded and grabbed onto Santana's hand, giving her a nod of agreement. "As do we all."

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**AN: I'm sorry if you guys hate me. There are STILL 2 chapters left and ANYTHING can happen ;D**


	15. Chapter 13: Dreamer

**AN: Hello readers! This is the second to last chapter of this story! Next is the epilogue and then we're done. This chapter ties everything together. Thank you guys for reviewing and sticking with this story from the very first chapter. 3**

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The seagulls by the beach were as loud and as obnoxious as they usually were. The people in the city stopped were celebrating, and the King of Lima remained lonely in his palace. A full year had passed and yet it seemed as though nothing had happened at all. Sam and Quinn married in Westerville and he remained there as their king with Quinn as his queen. Ever since the war ended, Captain Finn ended his days as captain of the military and became a sailor who used his knowledge of the seas to guide trading ships to other lands. Santana turned into a mermaid 10 months ago after the kings of Columbus changed her. Blaine hired new help and the castle was empty again. Except now, there are something else that was empty; his heart.

Blaine Anderson was crowned King of Lima the morning after he and the Princess of Columbus separated. He wished he could have taken more time away from the land to go and visit the fair princess, but unfortunately, being king has it's ups and downs, and one of those downs is being constantly busy. Blaine ended up visiting Rachel only 5 times that year. It wasn't like Rachel was angry about it either. She completely understood, although it saddened them both.

Now Blaine was in the largest palace in the land with no one to warm his aching heart. Sam and Quinn came to visit Blaine every once in a while, but their love darkened his heart. Blaine would rather be alone than watch two people share the love that he can't express to the love of his life because she is at least 100 feet underwater. If only there was a way that Rachel could be safe and he could still visit her frequently, that way, it would seem as though they weren't so far apart.

While standing on the balcony, looking over his kingdom, the idea hit Blaine's mind like a lightening bolt.

Several days later, the king called all of the people of Lima to the palace gates at the bottom of the hill. The people were all very confused at this notion, thinking that another bride was coming their way, while others wondered when the arrival of Lady Rachel would be, even though a year had passed since they last saw her.

"Subjects of Lima!" Blaine called, standing on his horse drawn carriage just outside the palace gates, "Many of you do not know the world you live in. Not exactly anyway. There are magical creatures all around you, and if we do not take caution and treat them with kindness, they will attack us all…" All of the men who stood tall over their wives and children gained the look of savagery and bloodlust, "There are creatures… they're called mermaids. My grandfather was associated with one of them, and he died in shame because of it, but I say **no.** **more.** They act the same as we humans do and they mean no harm to us. In fact, two of them have walked among you, one of which you adored as if she were your own queen. Lady Rachel came from the mermaid kingdom of Columbus and she transformed herself into a human to be with the people like us. None of the mermaids mean you any harm. However, they have refused to even find ways to walk among us because they are afraid that our strongest men will act like barbarians and destroy all of them. Which is why, on this day forth, no human shall bring any harm to a mer-creature. There will be no fights, there will be no wars and everyone will live peacefully together."

The people responded well to his new law. In fact, some of them cheered, mainly because nobody would cause war, and war was their biggest nightmare. Others continued to converse and smiled as they realized what this meant. Blaine had finally felt that he had done something right.

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Life under the sea changed, while other things remained the same. Santana and Sebastian were married the moment Santana decided she wanted to stay a mermaid forever. They go their own home in the village and took care of the sea creatures that came through the city. Rachel was grateful that they now had someone to fulfill that job.

Even though Rachel was still bound to her life as princess, to serve her kingdom and never go above the surface, at least her fathers let her roam free and live her life to the fullest. Rachel's boundaries were broken and she could go anywhere she wanted, but mainly because it was impossible for her to become a human again.

However, people still remained cheerful as beautiful music played throughout the kingdom. Everyone was singing and dancing and laughing and smiling. There was not one sad face in the entire city. Everything was good. Except for Rachel's heart. Rachel's heart would never love another the way she loved Blaine, but at least she had the memory of his lips, his eyes, his strong arms and the way they felt wrapped around her. Those were things that got her to sleep during the long nights.

As for Rachel's siblings, along with Rebecca getting married, Ryan and Rayna got married as well. In fact, Rebecca and Ryan had two kids of their own with their significant others. Rayna decided to spend her years with her husband in a small house, rather than in the palace. Now, it was time for Ray to get married, and ever since they saw Rachel fall in love, the law was changed so the children may marry whom they please. Ray married a beautiful young woman from a neighboring heard of sharks. The sharks raised the mermaid and while he was out and about, he saw her and fell in love with her. The two were married and the kingdom was celebrating out in the castle courtyard. Rachel even went and continuously congratulated her big brother and his bride. Sebastian and Santana attended the event, neither of them keeping their eyes off each other as they remembered what their own wedding was like. It wasn't quite as big of an event as Prince Ray's, but it was still fun. Everyone who lived near them, including Rachel and her siblings, came and there was nothing but cheer and love in the water.

During the party, the music that was playing began to pick up it's pace as everyone started to dance faster and become happier and happier with each passing note. That's what Rachel loved the most about Columbus, that no matter what was happening, everyone would join in and celebrate with each other, no matter who they were, everything was happy and joyful.

The music came to a halt all of sudden as a messenger sea horse came swimming as quick as he could. Of course he was a tiny little fellow, so the sound of his tiny horn and panting breath pattern were the only things the merpeople could hear once the music stopped.

"Your majesties! Princess Rachel! Your majesties! Princess Rachel!" the little sea horse chanted as he came swimming over the crowd's head's.

Rachel swam over to her father's throne and caught the sea horse in her hands.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "What's happened?"

"The King!" he shouted, "The king of lima has laid down a new law!"

"The king?" Rachel asked with a smile coming across her face.

"What law?" Hiram asked.

"What has King Blaine done?" Leroy asked.

Of course, their tones were prepared for the worst, but Rachel wasn't ready to give up hope just yet.

"He says that, by royal decree of the kingdom of Lima, no harm shall come to any mer-creature, especially those of the kingdom of Columbus. Let these two kingdoms live in peace."

Rachel's eyes widened with delight, looking forward towards the glistening sun through the water, as she once did when she was younger. "That wonderful man," she whispered to herself, the setting the sea horse on Leroy's lap while swimming over the crowd to find Sebastian and Santana.

"Blaine has made a law that none of us can be hurt!" she cheered, "I have to go and find him!"

"We will stay here and make sure everything goes smoothly, you must find him immediately," Santana assured her.

Rachel smiled and hugged both of them tightly against her.

"I love you guys," she whispered.

When she let go of them, she directed her attention to Sebastian, giving him the tightest hug she had ever given anyone.

"I love you, Seb," she said, "You're my best friend, and I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Love you too, Rach," he smiled, "but you really should go."

"Right," she said, letting go of him and started to swim away, "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Sebastian called out as Rachel swam faster and faster towards the surface of the water.

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Blaine hadn't felt the feeling of the ocean's cool breeze since the last time he saw Rachel several months ago. The sound of birds and waves was a sound that was no stranger to him, in fact, he felt very calm here, like it was where his heart was. Then again, the sea really was where his heart was, because Rachel was in the sea. Every night he waited outside his window and he heard Rachel's voice singing to him. It got him to sleep at night that was for sure.

"I wish you were here, my love," he whispered. His words weren't intended for her to actually hear, but if she did, it would make his world, "I wish I could see your face. I wish I could hear your sweet voice-."

The sound that cut off his words was the very sound that he wanted to hear. It was that beautiful crystal clear voice that rang like bells that the angels rung. It was as clear as the blue ocean and as soft as the sea foam that rose on the shore. The very sound of it got Blaine's heart racing until it beat out of his chest. According to what Rachel told him, that voice saved his life.

"Do you know what that song really means?" a soft and gentle voice called out once the voice stopped singing.

Rachel's head popped out of the surface. The boat was large, so it was a long way down to the water. Blaine was surprised he even heard her voice in the first place.

"If only I could hear you better!" he called down to her.

Rachel grinned, and started to wave her hands in a circular motion around her, causing the water around her to swirl. Then with a swift push from her hands, she rose straight to the upper deck, with the water practically lifting her to Blaine's side.

"How did you do that?" Blaine asked.

"My fathers taught me, just in case I needed to do that at some point," she shrugged, placing her hands on the railing of the boat to keep her balance.

"I'm grateful," he smiled, placing a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled and closed her eyes. She was glad he did that; the memories of him were starting to fade because they happened so long ago, so a refresher was definitely needed. "So do you want to know what that song really means?" she asked.

"What else could it mean besides the song that my love sings to me that makes me the happiest when you're not around?" he smiled softly, reaching over to touch her hand.

"But… it's actually a really cool mermaid thing," she explained, turning her hand beneath his to hold it tightly, "It's a rare talent, but some mermaids come with this thing… it's called a siren. It's a talent only given to the girls because we used out sirens to lure dangerous ships away from our kingdom, but one mermaid discovered that the siren was used for something more… the humans heard it as a beautiful song that could put them under the mermaid's spell, but when she sang it back in the kingdom to practice, only one merman heard it. It's a love song. Whoever hears the siren is the mermaid's true love. But… after a really long time, no mermaids were ever given a siren, but my grandmother had one, which is how she met my grandfather. I wasn't born a mermaid, though. My birth parents were humans and they died trying to run away from the king, your father, at the time."

"Huh, it doesn't surprised me," he scoffed, "My father was a coward. He was fool and acted harshly on things he did not understand… continue, my love."

"My parents were on a boat when they died, and they tried to take me with them," she continued, "That's when my grandmother found me. With Emma's help, my grandmother, along with my fathers, turned me into a mermaid. I'm a rare creature, you see. Because I was born human, but raised mermaid, I have a siren, but the person who hears my siren is a human."

"And that's why I can hear it?" he asked, squeezing Rachel's hand in his, "Does this mean that…?"

"All this time, we were destined to be together," she nodded.

Blaine smiled and wrapped his arms around Rachel, holding her tightly to him. Now that he knows they're meant to be together, he never wants to let go of her. It'll be impossible to leave her this time. When he felt Rachel's arms loosen around him, followed by her sigh, Blaine let go of her and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. He didn't even say anything to her, he just looked at her with reassuring eyes. He didn't want her to be hurting anymore. That was even more impossible for him to live with.

He continued to look at her for a moment before he let go of her and stepped onto the ledge. Rachel looked at him with a confused look for a moment, then Blaine jumped and made a huge splash into the ocean.

Rachel quickly dropped back into the ocean as well, not bothering to go back the way she came. She just jumped from where she was. Rachel saw him struggling to swim upwards. The fall must have knocked him out. She grabbed him by his body and began tugging him back towards the surface.

"Are you crazy!?" she yelled once they were both back to the air.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to be closer to you," he said, wrapping his arms around her again, this time holding her close to his chest while Rachel simply rested there beside him, "I changed the law so I could see you and now we're destined to be together… and yet the only reason we can't be together is…"

Rachel looked down at the shimmering pink and purple scales of Rachel's tail as she moved it back and forth in the water. Rachel's eyes widened when she remembered something she found only a few weeks ago. She didn't want to say anything until Blaine contacted her again. This was the right moment to figure it out.

"Here," she said, patting him on the chest to get his attention, "I'll go and untie the life boat, then I'll take you somewhere important."

Blaine looked at her with a very confused expression for a moment before he decided to trust whatever Rachel was saying. It obviously must have had some importance and he could tell that by the tone of her voice.

Rachel did the same similar motion with her hands that she did to see Blaine before. Once the water elevated her, she cut the ropes loose and the lifeboat on the side of the ship fell into the water. Blaine quickly got into the boat afterwards. She fell back into the water and grabbed onto the rope that was attached to the front of the boat and she tugged it as she started to swim towards a big group of small islands.

When the boat pulled up to the beaches, Blaine looked puzzled at the area around him.

"Where are we, Rachel?" he asked.

Rachel went back towards the deeper water, then called out to him, "Follow the stone trail until you reach the stone arch! Go through it and into the small cave, then slide down the tunnel! I'll meet you there."

Blaine was a bit confused as to what was going on, but he trusted Rachel with his life, and whatever she had in mind had a reason behind it. He looked around him for a minute and didn't see any stone trail, so he started to look around the edges of the jungle until he finally found a neatly formed trail. The rocks were so beaten and brown, as if someone had been here before, but not in a long time. He made sure to only step on the stones, in case there was something hiding in the mud that surrounded them.

Once he got off the stone path, there was a great large arch that towards over him and looked like it was leading to a small cave. Blaine shrugged at himself for a moment, constantly muttering to himself that this was all leading up to something that seemed important. So, Blaine went through the arch and went into the small cave like Rachel said. The arch was large but the cave was quite the opposite. Blaine had to curl up into a ball just to fit into it. It was a little hard to see this tunnel that Rachel was talking about, so he started feeling the walls of the cave. Eventually he found a strange feeling seaweed and decided to stop feeling. Then he closed his eyes and listened for the draft, then he placed his hand to where he thought it was and his hand went straightforward. "HA!" he cheered.

He placed his feet at the top of the tunnel and then pushed himself off with his hand down the tiny slide and landed straight onto what felt like sand. Once he was able to slide himself out of the tunnel, he stood up, brushed himself off, and looked around to figure out where he was. This place was far too familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it now, but he knew this place somehow. There were plants growing and stone chairs and there were birds flying in and out of the cave through the top of what looked like a forever dormant volcano.

"Rachel?" he called out, "Rachel are you here?"

Suddenly, he was stunned by the sound of the water being moved in the small pool on the side of the cave that must have taken up at least half the space in the large area.

Blaine bent down to get a closer look, but all he saw was the blue-ish color of the water. It wasn't that clear, but maybe that was point. Maybe if someone ever found this place, they could hide in the water so no one could see them. This was a hiding spot.

As he studied the water more carefully, he suddenly was cut off by the figure of a girl, rushing straight to him and placing her lips on his.

Blaine gasped once he pulled away from the girl, only to realize that the girl was a giggling Rachel, swimming in circles with delight around the pool.

"That's not funny, Rachel," he scoffed, "You really scared me for a minute."

"Oh my love, you would NEVER make it as a merman," she laughed, twirling in circles, "We play tricks on each other all the time. In fact, there was one time when I was a child when Sebastian used a conch shell to convince me that I had a curse set upon me and that he was a sea witch."

"Weren't you frightened, my love?" he asked, kneeling near the edge of the land.

"Of course I was," she giggled, "but it was all good fun when the day was over."

Blaine admired so many things about Rachel, but his favorite part about her was her fun spirit. How no matter what was happening, she could make someone laugh. If a starving man was waiting outside a shelter, she would sit him down and tell him stories until he would smile again. That's why the people of Lima loved her so much. However, it was only one small reason on a list of hundreds of reasons why he loved her.

"So you brought me here to stop my heart?" he laughed.

Rachel paused for a moment, pressing her lips together. Did he even remember what this place is? Of course he knows what happened that day, he DIED on that day for god's sake.

"Blaine…" Rachel said softly, swimming towards him, "Do you know where you are?"

Blaine looked around for a moment, examining every last detail, but then he shook his head.

"Sweetheart…" she said, touching his hand, "You died here. Remember? It happened a year ago. My fathers tried to kill you, but it didn't work. I saved you that time, but then a Westerville soldier came and shot you. Then the enchantress came and saved you…"

"That was here?" he asked, patting the sand, trying to remember what it felt like to lay dead against it, "I only remember one thing about the scenery that day… there was only you."

"My family was there too… that was the day they all realized that our love is real," she said, sitting up on the ledge beside him, "My grandmother was the only one who understood at the time. I'm glad my dads and siblings understand now. If they didn't… I would be really alone right now."

Blaine nodded and kissed Rachel's forehead, "You're never alone, Rachel. Don't you know I'm always right here?" He took his index finger and poked the little part of her skin where her heart should be, then he pressed that same hand to his chest, "As you are in mine."

"I know," she said quietly. There was a pause for a moment, just for them to communicate without words. Blaine wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulder as she had a short moment to grieve. He understood why she was upset, even if she never told him her grandmother died. Blaine still knew by the way she looked when she mentioned her name and how she used the past tense when she mentioned her. Rachel didn't cry, she used all of her tears on the funeral all those months ago, but she just sat there in sadness for a minute, mainly to collect herself so she wouldn't break down, "Do you know why I brought you here?" she asked.

"Well… that depends… is there anything more?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. Without warning, she jumped away from Blaine's arms and straight into the water, startling him just a little bit, but then he remembered that she was a mermaid. Sometimes he just looked past her tail and focused on how beautiful her eyes looked. Once he did that, nothing else really mattered about her appearance, because he could really just see her.

Rachel disappeared for only a few moments and then she rose quickly again, this time holding a pink bottle that seemed to have some kind of glowing liquid.

"Rachel, what is that, darling?" Blaine asked, almost cautiously.

"My grandmother left this for me," she said, "This place… is not really what it seems… this was a hiding place for my grandmother… because she knew a human."

"She knew a human too?" Blaine asked, widening his eyes.

"And not just any human… your grandfather," Rachel confessed. She hadn't told anyone that story before. Not even her family had been told about what Shelby did all those years ago. The only ones who could know were Blaine and Rachel now, "Our grandparents were friends… they wanted to be more, but their separation tore them apart. Blaine… I don't want that to be us… I want to be with you always."

"But that's impossible, you said yourself a year ago," he argued, "There's no way to change you back."

"But there might be," she said, shaking the bottle in her hand, then turning it around to read the note attached to it, "Rachel, I made this to try and make myself human, so I could roam the shores with William and still have responsibilities to my kingdom. You drink this and then kiss your true love. If the potion still works, you will take the form of your true love. Only when your feet touch the ocean will you be able to turn back. When you dry, you will be human. It never worked on me because William wasn't my true love… but Blaine is yours. I will probably have passed on by the time you read this, but it's yours now. Use it wisely."

"So you're saying… that if you drink that and I kiss you… you can be human again?" Blaine asked.

"It's worth a shot, right?" she asked, "My grandmother's true love was a merman, not a human, so there's a slight possibility that this might work."

"I say go for it!" he said anxiously.

Rachel popped open the bottle and took a drink from it, shivering after she drank it.

"Well?" Blaine asked.

"It's cold and bubbly," she giggled, "It's also kind of thick, which feels really weird in my throat."

Blaine laughed and reached his hands over to her. Rachel grabbed them and pulled herself towards him. With his help, he lifted her back onto the land and he placed his hand gently on her cheek.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I've waited a year for an opportunity like this to show up," she nodded, "I've always been ready."

Blaine smiled and pressed his forehead against hers for just a moment, in case something went wrong, he'd want to just feel Rachel's presence one last time. Then he slowly brought his lips to hers in an innocent and sweet kiss. His other hand moved to her other cheek to mold her face perfectly with his.

Suddenly, Rachel felt very tingly inside, as if the bubbles from the drink were now all over her body and under her skin. Rachel cringed into the kiss and Blaine immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"What's happening?" he asked.

Rachel didn't answer, and instead she jumped into the water again. Blaine watched worriedly at the water for a few moments. The water was so blue that he couldn't even see through it as he mentioned earlier. The water started to bubble as it was boiling inside the pool. There was a giant flash of light, like lightening shooting into the water. Blaine fell backwards and hid behind the giant stone chair by the cave wall. Smoke formed around the pool and it was very hard to see what was going on.

As the smoke started to clear, a figure emerged from it. A human woman wearing a pink dress with brown hair that was the silkiest and the smoothest Blaine had ever seen. Her eyes were crystal blue like the bluest of the ocean. She looked like an angel sent from heaven above, and a human too.

"It worked?" Blaine whispered.

He got up on his feet and slowly walked towards her. He felt the smooth skin on her shoulders and forearms, then her fingertips. He placed his hands by her neck and pushed back her hair from her face.

"Rachel?" he asked.

Rachel blinked several times, now examining her own self. She stretched her arms forward, feeling a little bit of tension in her muscles as she stretched them out. Then she looked down at saw her own two legs, with ten toes on each foot and everything.

"My eyes!" she shouted nervously, "Blaine, what color are my eyes?"

"They're blue, my love," he said, "The prettiest blue I have ever seen."

Rachel paused for a minute with her mouth hanging open, wanting to see if everything was too good to be true or not. "I first saw you when I was swimming with Sebastian. We saw a ship, so I wanted to get a closer look, and then I saw this man… he was strong and handsome with luscious dark hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. I couldn't help myself, I had to see him again. That man was you… You came to my kingdom on a smaller boat this time and that's how we met. I told my fathers I was going to lure you away, but instead I took you somewhere private where we could meet. For weeks after that we saw each other in secret with Emma's help. You realized you loved me after that and we kissed for the first time but then my fathers took me away from you. I was able to escape them and I became human, but then my fathers cursed me so you would never remember me and I had to get you to at least fall in love with me again… and it worked. We fell so in love after months of spending time with each other. But you still didn't remember and then after the ball, my fathers found me and took me back home and you tried to come after me. I spends days crying out my sorrows for you and then Sebastian found me and told me that you and Santana came back to find us with his help. My fathers, however, found you first, and they tried to drown you but we saved you both. But then you got shot and you died and it was like everything in my world came crumbling down and nobody cared about me then, so it was like I was truly alone and you weren't even there in my heart to comfort me. Then Emma found a potion to save you and when I sang to you, you came back to life and then a year went by without each other, but it wasn't as bad as before, and then I found you on your ship and I brought you here and my grandmother is dead, but Sebastian and Santana are married and I drank a potion and now I'm human again and there's nothing that can keep me away from you anymore because I love you with all of my heart and no matter how far or long we were apart I still want to be with you, I'll love you forever until the end of time… Do you remember all of those things?"

Blaine paused for a moment, his eyes widening that she even remembered all of those things. He stared blankly at her for a moment and Rachel almost started to cry, but then he pressed his thumb against her cheek and whispered, "How on earth could I forget the story of the love of my life?"

Rachel smiled and hugged him tightly, crying tears of happiness into his shoulder. "You scared me for a moment there, love," she cried, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Hey, mermaids like to play tricks, don't they?" he laughed, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair.

"But I'm not one of those anymore," she said, standing back a little bit and taking his hand in hers, "I'm yours."

Blaine smiled so much that he couldn't contain his own happiness any longer. He wrapped his arms around her body and spun her around while holding her close to him. Once he set her on her feet, he looked at her for a moment and closed the distance between there lips, knowing they now had all the time in the world together now. There was no separation. There was no more distance between them. Rachel's fathers let them be together and now she was human. He would never let go of her and she would never let go of him. Even if they died in each other's arms, it would be a sweet victory to them both. At least they had each other, and after all they have been through, they at least deserved that.


End file.
